The PPWR (EU Packaging Directive) makes the use of recycled materials in packaging mandatory, yet many companies lack a commercially viable way of achieving the required material purity and recycled content. With integrated processing concepts combining shredding and (dry) cleaning, Vecoplan demonstrates how regulatory targets can be achieved in practice.
Whilst the PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) sets out clear targets for the use of recycled materials, in practice the ‘how’ is often still lacking. Due to rising costs and uncertain regulatory conditions, the circular economy is currently failing to realise its full potential. However, modern shredding and cleaning technologies, as well as well-thought-out processing concepts such as those we offer, are already demonstrating how regulatory targets can be put into practice.
Regulatory pressure: What the PPWR (EU Packaging Regulation) means for recycling
The plastics industry is currently under enormous pressure, and not just because of the EU‑ Packaging Directive. Rising raw material prices, uncertain markets and high energy costs are placing a particular strain on small and medium-sized enterprises. As a result, investment in recycling technologies is often delayed or halted altogether.
Although the PPWR is intended to provide greater planning certainty in the long term by introducing binding recycled content targets, the situation remains complex in the short term. A key problem is that virgin plastics are often cheaper than recycled materials.
As long as virgin plastics are often cheaper than recycled material, we have a structural problem. The use of recycled materials is therefore often a question of cost-effectiveness.
Material purity: Why impurities hold back recycled materials
With the PPWR Regulation, the pressure to use recycled materials is increasing, as are the quality requirements for them. Material purity is the key factor in high-quality plastics recycling. In the packaging sector in particular, recycled materials are required that meet the highest technical standards.
A major obstacle here is the quality of the input streams. Plastic waste often contains foreign materials such as:
- other polymers
- paper and cardboard residues
- mineral components
- organic contaminants
Even minor impurities can significantly impair the material’s properties and limit the range of applications for the recycled material. The result: higher processing costs and, frequently, a shift towards less demanding applications – so-called downcycling.
“The challenge lies not so much in the ‘if’ but in the ‘how’,” says Tim Hamer. “The key is to achieve the necessary purity under real-world conditions in a cost-effective manner.”
Plastics recycling as a system: the interplay between shredding and cleaning
This is precisely where modern solutions come into play. The key factor here is the interaction between all stages of the process, from shredding to cleaning.
Only when the entire processing sequence is optimally coordinated can stable, high-quality recycled materials be produced.
At Vecoplan, we take an integrated approach that combines shredding and cleaning technology. The aim is not only to optimise individual process steps, but also to make the entire value chain more efficient.
Shredding itself is a key factor: optimised cutting geometries and application-specific systems can deliver efficiency gains of up to 30 per cent.
Dry cleaning (plastic): the benefits of a water-free method
By integrating our subsidiary Pla.to, we are specifically strengthening the area of dry cleaning.
The key advantage is that this process requires absolutely no water.
Dry cleaning can be used flexibly in this context:
- as a standalone cleaning step
- as a preliminary stage for wet chemical processes
- to reduce water and energy consumption
- to prepare for chemical recycling
Depending on the application, it either enables a sufficiently high material quality without the need for further wet cleaning, or, as a preliminary step, significantly improves the efficiency of subsequent processes.
Conclusion: This is how the recycling rate can be achieved in an economically viable way
As the PPWR‑summary äshows, the PPWR clearly sets out the direction – towards a more circular economy, a higher proportion of recycled content in packaging and improved material cycles. Technologically speaking, many of these requirements can already be met today.
The real challenge lies in their economic and process-related implementation. The key lies in a combination of stable processes, flexible technology and end-to-end processing concepts.
This very connection is already possible today. However, until the regulatory framework is fully developed, flexible technologies such as dry cleaning can help to reduce investment risks and make the circular economy a reality, step by step.
Are you ready for the PPWR? Our white paper shows how you can implement PPWR requirements operationally, with a focus on process stability and material purity.
