How to turn the

Circular Economy
into an opportunity
for your company
2 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

Contents
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: A NECESSARY CHANGE.................................... 3

THE PLASTIC STRATEGY...................................................................................... 5

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR COMPANIES IN THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY?.. 7

EIGHT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLASTICS COMPANIES................................... 8

3 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

The Circular Economy: A Necessary

Change
For a long time, we have used a linear model, in which products are The Circular Economy Package adopted by the European Commis-
produced, used and then become waste. sion in December 2015 is a fundamental contribution to the trans-
formation of the European economy into a sustainable economy by
This situation is unsustainable. The system needs to change to a 2050. Within the EU Action Plan, plastics is one of the priority sectors
circular economy. for achieving this social and industrial change.

LINEAR MODEL

RAW MANUFACTURING CONSUMPTION WASTE

MATERIAL USE
4 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

The circular economy redefines the growth model by integrating RAW

environmental and economic aspects. MATERIALS

It proposes a continuous cycle of development in which the value

of products, materials and resources is maintained for as long as MANUFACTURING
possible and waste production is reduced as much as possible.
ECO-DESIGN
The goal is to achieve a sustainable, low-carbon economy (LCE) that
is resource-efficient and competitive. DISTRIBUTION
RECYCLING

BENEFITS
COLLECTION CONSUMPTION
Reduces use of resources and energy.
USE
Reduces waste.
REUSE
Realigns countries’ production systems. Creates wealth and REPAIR
employment.
CIRCULAR MODEL
Drives innovation and competitiveness.
Contributes to the fight against climate change. In the circular economy, waste is turned into resources and
there is a focus on efficiency in terms of materials and energy.
5 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

The Plastics Strategy

The first European strategy on plastics was published in January Acquisition of materials
and components
2018 and is based on the entire life cycle of products and pro-
cesses.

The strategy proposes a new circular economy that promotes

investment in innovative solutions, and turns today’s challenges
into opportunities.
Production
To realize this strategy, all participants in the plastics value chain
End of life Life Transformation

must get involved: manufacturers of raw materials, designers, Cycle

transformers, end-user companies and distributors, and recy-
clers.

Citizens, the scientific community and the public authorities will

also have a decisive role in making a difference and achieving a
positive change.
Use Distribution

Outline of a Product Life Cycle

6 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

2030
Journey to the Future of Plastics All plastic
packaging
in EU
+50%
The proportion of plastics recycled
Recycled plastics constitute
an increasingly valuable
raw material for industry.

Europe. 2030. As a result of the plans for all key applications is over 50%.
markets is

200 000
established by the European strategy,
recyclable.
this is the new state of plastics. The substances that used to make recycling
difficult have been replaced or removed.
new jobs

The ability to sort and recycle Demand for recycled

Better designs, innovative has increased fourfold compared to 2015 plastics has increased
New, innovative materials and and this contributes to creating jobs.
products and new fourfold. This means a
alternative raw materials that are stable source of income f
business models that lead
more sustainable and contribute or the recycling industry.
to sustainable patterns
to decarbonization and to creating
of consumption.
growth opportunities.

Europe leads the field in sorting

and recycling equipment and
technology. Exports increase,
In Europe, citizens, governments and Dependence on imported fossil fuels has
together with the global demand
industry have adopted more been reduced, as have CO2 emissions,
for more sustainable ways of
in compliance with the commitments of
sustainable patterns of consumption processing plastic at the end of
the Paris Agreement.
and production. A fertile environment its working life.
has been created for social and
business innovation to create a
wealth of opportunities for the Cleaner beaches and seas
whole of society. favour activities such as tourism and
fishing, and conserve fragile ecosystems.
7 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

WHAT DOES IT
MEAN FOR COMPANIES
IN THE PLASTICS What can
my company do?
INDUSTRY?
We present eight
The circular economy and the plastic strate-
gy will lead to changes in the plastics indus-
opportunities that you
try. can use to apply the circular
The legislative changes that will apply to
economy to your business
the industry provide an opportunity to im- model.
prove efficiency, reduce environmental im-
pact and increase profitability.

It is important for companies to be aware

of this change of model and to start taking
steps in line with the outlined strategy as
soon as possible.
8 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

OPPORTUNITIES FOR
PLASTICS COMPANIES
 9 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

Products should be designed with the following criteria in mind:

Eco-design Repairability

of Products
OPPORTUNITY
Upgradability

Reuse

Recyclability

The European Commission intends to enact Extended Producer

Responsibility measures to extend producers’ responsibility to the
post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle.

Eco-design involves analysing the product for subsequent optimiza-

tion and a reduction in costs due to the amount of materials used,
more efficient transport and a more efficient process. Furthermore,
this eco-design process provides a product with a smaller carbon
footprint.
Did you know that eco-design can generate
as much as an 80% reduction in the
product’s environmental impact, along
with associated economic savings?
 10 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

More Efficient Less Energy and Less Waste

Production Processes An effort should be made to use more sustainable materials and the
OPPORTUNITY
best available techniques (BREF) should be used when they are do-
cumented. Substances and products that are of concern should be
replaced and innovative technology should be used.

Processes should be assessed and established systems redefined by

implementing control technologies that help produce economic sa-
vings by eliminating inefficiencies, designing shorter cycles, adjusting
temperatures and pressures to materials and products, generating
less waste and using fewer materials. Here, Industry 4.0 is a key fac-
tor.

Industry 4.0 involves the control and

optimization of processes, leading to fewer
faults and subsequent economic savings.
 11 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

Symbiosis is a phenomenon found in nature that consists of an asso-

Industrial ciation of organisms of different species to mutually benefit their de-

velopment.

Symbiosis
OPPORTUNITY
The application of this idea to industry has come to be known as in-
dustrial symbiosis. It involves one company or industry using the
by-products of other companies and industries. In this case, the term
by-product includes energy, material, water and logistics. It is based
on collaboration between companies to find new ways of using re-
sources and therefore increasing income by reducing waste flows
and their associated costs.

For example, when one company process generates hot air that can-
not be used, this flow can be channelled for use by another company
to dry its products. This collaboration requires proximity between com-
panies (the shorter the distance, the greater the savings) and often in-
When one company makes use of another volves optimum facility design.
company’s unused outflows, the result is a
considerable cost reduction, as well as major
economic and environmental savings.
 12 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

Use of In general, using recycled plastic has a lower environmental impact

than using virgin plastic.

Recycled Plastics
OPPORTUNITY
This situation reinforces the basic concept of the circular economy:

WASTE = RESOURCE

Specifically, an opportunity for the packaging industry is the use of re-

cycled plastic for producing plastic materials that come into con-
tact with food.

Using recycled material rather than virgin

material reduces a product’s carbon footprint
and provides economic savings on raw
materials.
 13 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

Use of Plastics from Using plastics from renewable sources in products whenever possible
provides environmental benefits. It is essential that these products
Renewable Sources
OPPORTUNITY
and renewable resources in general be used in cascade, with several
reuse and recycling cycles.

It should be noted that some renewable materials are biodegradable

and some are not. Their use should be optimized and the material that
causes the lowest environmental impact should be used in each case,
taking into account the entire life cycle.

Using plastic from renewable sources can

reduce the product’s carbon footprint.
 14 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

Recyclable Products By 2030, 100% of products must be recyclable. Companies must

ensure that their products are recyclable.
OPPORTUNITY
Recycling of plastic materials is a clear necessity in this context. It has
been calculated that the EU’s ability to recycle plastic must be expan-
ded and modernized. This will mean greater turnover, job creation and
higher availability of recycled plastic in Europe.

Furthermore, increased recycling of plastic contributes to reducing

Europe’s dependency on imported fossil fuels and its CO2 emissions.
These aspects can be transferred to companies.

Recycling plastic is a growth business model.

 15 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

Labelling products in terms of their environmental improvements is a

Product key aspect. Promoting the purchase of products with better environ-
mental credentials should lead to increased sales of these products.

Labelling We know that price is a key factor for consumers, but it appears that
OPPORTUNITY
this is changing, which may favour the purchase of products that
consumers recognize as being more environmentally friendly.
Labels that identify products in this way are key.

The purchase of products that are more environmentally friendly will

be boosted by the commitment of the European Union to Green Public
Procurement, which accounts for almost 20% of Europe’s GDP. This
preference in purchasing will translate to public bids and EU funding.

Obtaining an eco-label or green seal for a product makes compa-

nies stand out and provides a competitive advantage.

AIMPLAS helps your company to achieve the Blue Angel certification

Environmental product labels show the and TÜV Austria labels.
environmental improvement of the product
and help with the preferential placement of the
product in public and private purchasing.
 16 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

Voluntary Certification The European Commission wants to promote high-quality recycling

inside and outside the European Union. One of the main ways of achie-

of Plastic-Waste
OPPORTUNITY
ving this is by promoting voluntary certification of plastic-waste treat-
ment facilities.
Treatment Facilities Being alert to this situation and getting certified will make you
stand out in the recycling industry compared to other facilities
and this will increase your competitiveness.

AIMPLAS has experts accredited as EuCertPlast auditors to assess

companies applying for EuCertPlast certification.

Voluntary certification of a recycling company

will mean increased production and economic
benefits in the medium term.
17 How to turn the Circular Economy into an opportunity for your company

AIMPLAS can help you:

1. Eco-design your products. If you’re still not sure where to start, don’t worry. We’ll provide you
with a general analysis to assess application of the circular
2. Optimize your production processes.
economy to your company.
3. Look at opportunities for industrial symbiosis.

4. Use recycled plastic materials.

Be one step ahead!
How to Turn the Circular Economy
5. Use plastic materials from renewable sources.

6. Ensure that your products are recyclable.

7. Obtain an eco-label for your recycled material

into an Opportunity
or products. for Your Company
8. Certify your plastic-waste treatment facilities.
Contact us
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