KICK-OFF FOR R-CYCLE: Tracing and recycling plastics

The cross-company cooperative project R-Cycle was officially launched. The objective is to ensure the recyclability of plastic packaging through seamless documentation of all recycling-relevant packaging properties. Only in this way can recyclable waste be precisely identified during the recycling process and reprocessed to make a wide range of high-grade plastic products.

Currently the plastics machinery manufacturers Arburg, Brückner Maschinenbau, Kautex Maschinenbau and Reifenhäuser participate in the project, along with the Institute for Plastics Processing (Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung - IKV) at RWTH Aachen University. They are supported by GS1 Germany, a neutral skills and service center that aims to optimize cross-company business processes throughout the value chain. The project’s official kick-off took place in June at the headquarters of the Reifenhäuser Group in Troisdorf.

R-Cycle is set to become a cross-sector, globally-implementable standard that will subsequently be openly available to all companies and industries throughout the life cycle of plastic packaging. R-Cycle will therefore contribute to meeting the objectives of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan.

R-Cycle relies here on field-proven marking and tracing technologies similar to those already used for fresh produce in the food industry. This ensures that physical products are supplemented with digital information throughout the entire supply chain. Numerous pilot projects with partner companies — including worldwide raw material suppliers, retail companies, global brands and independent institutions — are already in progress.