ANALYSIS | MARKETS
Plastic recycling’s next stop: engineering polymers
Legislation, collection and production capacity are all challenges as recycling of engineering plastics starts to take hold. These and other issues are discussed in this article by Olivia Poole, author of a new AMI Consulting report
Engineering polymers (also termed engineering thermo- plastics or ETPs) are defined as plastics with higher mechanical and/or thermal properties, used in lower volumes than commodity polymers although with significant value. They include, but are not limited to: ABS/SAN, polycarbonate, polyamide, PBT, POM and PMMA. These polymers can be compounded and used in blends in combination with other polymers, allowing tailoring of properties to extend their range of use. With growth of these polymers driven by replace- ment of traditional materi- als, the market is dominated by automotive applications, the electrical and consumer goods industries, as well as PC and PMMA sheet applications in roofing, glazing and construction.
Evolving regulation The regulatory landscape for plastics recycling is a critical driving force to incentivise the development of sustain- ability and recycling initiatives in Europe. While the main focus is currently on single-use and commod- ity plastics, aspirations will
12
The proposed revision to the EU’s ELV Directive would require carmakers to include recycled plastics in new vehicles
soon need to reach to more challenging applications in order to achieve the EU’s aim to become net-zero by 2050. Already the Circular Economy Action Plan has proposed mandatory requirements for recycled content and waste reduc- tion measures in three product areas of packag- ing, construction materials and vehicles. In July 2023, the EU Commission proposed updates to the End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive that focus on key elements to improve design, collection, recycling and reporting. Included in this is a target that recycled plastics account for at least 25% of plastics in new vehicles, of which 25% is from recycled ELVs. Furthermore, based on
the current protocol and guidelines for EU construc- tion and demolition waste
PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | January/February 2024
as well as further data collection initiatives, it can also be assumed that collection, sorting and mandatory recycled content requirements will be introduced for building and construction materials in Europe in the future. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is also currently being evaluated to assess if it is fit for purpose, can be simplified or if a full review is needed, with a report due in March.
Increasing demand Based on the shifting legislation in Europe, with the overall ambition to reach net zero by 2050, it is clear recycling will remain a key component of Europe’s roadmap to a more circular economy. It is expected that these targets cannot be met without the utilisation of increasing volumes of
recycled engineering polymers, requiring signifi- cant investment in technolo- gies to make the waste available.
As OEMs look to intro- duce more recycled content into their products, demand for engineering polymer recyclate is expected to more than double from 2020 to 2030. Furthermore, recycling capacity will be required to increase by 344,000 tonnes in Europe in order to keep up with this growing demand. Increasing demand for engineering polymer recyclate presents a multitude of opportunities for innovation, growth and investments in an area with lower volumes, but higher value products. However, there are challenges that need to be overcome in order to increase recycling capacity and meet this demand.
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
IMAGE: ISTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
