PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
In Europe, every year around 25.8 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated (Plastics Europe, 2018). Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled. Another 19% is incinerated, 50% ends up in landfill and 22% evades waste management systems altogether (e.g. fly tipping), especially in poorer countries (Global Plastics Outlook. OECD, 2022).
In the EU, the potential for reuse and recycling plastic waste is still largely untapped when compared with other materials such as paper or glass. In recent years, the potential of the EU plastic recycling sector has been held back by low commodity prices and uncertainties about possibilities of market reintroduction of recycled plastic materials and related profitability.
At the European level, packaging by far represents the largest end-use market for plastic material, accounting for 39.6% of the total European plastic demand. Plastic packaging is widely used in today’s agriculture sector and in the food value chain. In 2019, the agricultural sector used 12.5 million tonnes of plastic products in plant and animal production and 37.3 million tonnes in food packaging. Although the total volume of plastic packaging waste sent to recycling has increased by more than 92% from 2006 to 2018, 3.3 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste still finds its way to landfill.
In Spain, in the 1990s, 90% of the crates for fruit and vegetable were made of wood; nowadays 60% of the crates are made of plastic material. An increase in the use of plastic packaging in Spain in the commercial distribution, storage and preservation of fruit and vegetables is expected over the coming years.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE CLOOVER2 project aims to develop and demonstrate an eco-designed closed-loop of reused and recycled commercial and industrial plastic packaging by creating a new networking model across the whole plastic value-chain to be implemented in the agri-food sector. This model, based on the recirculation of plastic packaging, will contribute to the reduction of current environmental impact derived from plastic manufacturing activity.
The LIFE-CLOOVER2 project will demonstrate the feasibility of closed loops in three of the most commonly used plastic packages in the commercial and industrial agri-sector (for non-hazardous content): crates, drums and jerry cans. The results will then be extrapolated and replicated.
More specifically, the objectives of the project are to:
Demonstrate four R2-closed-loops for crates, drums and jerry cans. Each loop will combine Reusing and Recycling (R2) processes, taking into consideration several possibilities for different numbers of reusing cycles. Smart toolkits (guidelines) for the implementation of the loops will be developed to ease the transfer and replication of the developed solution.
Generate connection networks between the companies in the value chain through the creation of closed loops, to ensure their viability and correct functioning. This will be done through promoting the establishment of business networks at local level that ensure closed loops for each type of plastic packaging.
Increase the flow of recycled polyolefins in contact with food, under the EFSA Food Safety requirements by establishing "crates2crates", "drums2drums" and "jerrycans2jerrycans" loops, similar to "bottle2bottle" for PET.
Provide Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Schemes in Europe with tools to help their existing loops to implement closure (i.e., that recovered products are recycled and used to make the same products again, thus closing the loop and keeping the material within the same sector) and reference data for eco-modulated fees.
RESULTS
The project’s expected results are:
Introduction of 4,928.17 kg of recycled plastic into the market through the manufacture of recycled crates, drums and jerry cans frequently used in the agri- food sector, increasing the recycling rate by 10% in Spain at the end of the project.
A reduction of plastics sent to landfill (10 ktonnes of plastics expected to be diverted at the end of the project in the project implementation area).
The establishment of connection networks between the companies in the value chain necessary to implement closed loops for the reuse and recycling of commercial and industrial plastic packaging.
Demonstration of an alternative (circular) scenario to the current (linear) one in the management of commercial and industrial plastic packaging in Europe, integrating a new approach based on eco-design, re-use and recycling.
