The trend is positive. According to the latest statistics by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the Central Agency Packaging Register (ZSVR), more packaging was recycled by the dual systems in 2023 compared to the previous year. The proportion of plastic packaging recycled from 2018 to 2023 rose from 42.1percent to 68.9 percent.
In Germany, around two thirds of waste, or more precisely the volume of lightweight packaging, is mechanically recycled. Chemical recycling can be an alternative to incineration for the remaining quantities. This is because chemical recycling is said to offer the possibility of removing harmful substances.
Companies from the recycling, petrochemical, and plastics industries are currently working together to expand chemical recycling. Waste management company Interzero sees great potential in this, as Dr. Richard von Goetze, Head of Chemical Recycling at Interzero, explains. By 2026, Interzero wants to be using chemical recycling on a large scale.
The term chemical recycling covers various recycling technologies. What they all have in common is that liquid resources are produced from waste containing plastics, enabling the production of recyclates in virgin material quality. “Chemical recycling generally refers to technologies that break down long polymer chains into their basic building blocks through chemical reactions,” explains Dr. Christoph Gahn, Vice President Chemical Recycling BASF. Companies such as packaging manufacturer Südpack are also among those investing in chemical recycling. This process is increasingly backed by researchers. “Chemical recycling can handle material flows that cannot be mechanically recycled – and thus conserve resources and avoid waste incineration,” says Dr. Markus Hiebel, Head of the Sustainability and Participation Department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT.
However, no chemical recycling technology has yet reached market maturity. However, some suppliers have made great progress and are on the verge of commercializing plants with relevant capacities.
The German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) and the association of plastics producers Plastics Europe Deutschland (PED) have presented a position paper on the measurement of recycled content in plastic products. Their aim is to promote chemical recycling processes as a supplement to mechanical processes.
The proposed assessment basis is referred to as the mass balance approach. According to the two associations, this approach allows the proportion of recycled raw materials to be allocated to an end product in a comprehensible manner.
In a recent study, the Federal Environment Agency, comes to the following conclusion: Chemical plastics recycling can – in technically mature, energy-integrated and optimized plants – make a positive contribution to the circular economy. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced compared to thermal treatment. From an energy perspective, however, the complex approach is currently not the optimal solution as long as high-quality fossil raw materials are burned elsewhere to provide thermal energy. FACHPACK 360° contacted the Federal Environment Agency to find out more. Dr. Julia Vogel, Head of Waste Technology, Waste Technology Transfer, answered the questions.
