CIMPA concludes by showcasing its main findings in Brussels

On 20 November, the EU-funded H2020 CIMPA project concluded its 3.5-year journey with a final event showcasing its innovative solutions for recycling multilayer plastic films from packaging and agricultural applications.  The final event “Advancing the circularity of complex plastic films” was hosted by EuRIC (European Recycling Industries’ Confederation) in Brussels.

Celine Chevalier (IPC), CIMPA Project Coordinator, kicked off the event by presenting the project’s methodology and key findings. Laure Baillargeon, Policy Officer at DG GROW, provided insights on the current state of plastic waste in Europe, emphasising the need for stronger collection and sorting efforts, as well as the opportunities in the upcoming Circular Economy Act to drive demand for secondary materials.

The event continued with a presentation and demonstration by Raphael Josselin (Pellenc ST) and Marien de Lint (FiliGrade) on advanced sorting techniques for multilayers, combining NIR and digital watermarking. Attendees experienced digital watermarking on multilayer packaging—an almost invisible innovation that will greatly facilitate recycling by enabling easy scanning for sorting.

Presentations on decontamination, recycling and valorisation of multilayer plastic films followed. The decontamination processes to reduce polluting substances, odours, and improve mechanical properties was presented by Vanessa Gutiérrez (AIMPLAS), and the VAREX process to stabilized and upgrade the properties of recycled plastic films was introduced by Ilkka Rytöluoto (VTT). Lucie Prins (TNO) and Celine Chevallier concluded the session with the results from the physical (dissolution) recycling processes developed by TNO and two mechanical recycling routes developed at IPC.

A cluster discussion led by Keti Medarova-Bergstrom (European Commission’s REA) explored EU efforts to boost research in plastics circularity. Jaime Sanchis Magraner (MERLIN project) called for standardisation in manufacturing and recycling, while Christophe Cotillon (Buddie-Pack project) advocated for policy harmonisation across the EU to avoid national bias. Maria Vera Duran, EuRIC’s Senior Technical Manager and responsible for the CIMPA project, emphasised the importance of collaboration between EU-funded projects,  by sharing knowledge and maximizing the impact of results.

The event concluded with a panel discussion featuring Wolfgang Trunk (European Commission), Judit Guerra-Falcon (Plastics Europe), Lauriane Veillard (Zero Waste Europe), and Alexandra de Schonen (SUEZ). Wolfgang Trunk stressed the need for increased separate collection to reduce landfill waste, reflecting this in EPR fees. Judit Guerra-Falcon called for separate coding for virgin and recycled plastics to improve differentiation, while Lauriane Veillard focused on the importance of waste prevention and reuse. Alexandra de Schonen raised concerns about the low demand for recycled plastics and emphasised the need for positive externalities to reflect in circularity policies.

We thank all participants for their valuable contributions and look forward to continued collaboration to advance the circularity of complex plastic films. By building on the research and policy insights from CIMPA, we aim to provide practical solutions that support EU efforts in promoting circularity in plastics.