At IFAT 2024, the association of plastics manufacturers will focus on dialogue on the circular economy of plastics.

This year's world's leading trade fair for environmental technologies and recycling will take place in Munich from 13 to 17 May 2024. PlasticsEurope Deutschland e. V., the association of plastics manufacturers, is one of the official trade fair partners and is represented at IFAT 2024 by several member companies. Arcus Greencycling Technologies, BASF, Carboliq, Dow, Evonik, Neste and OMV want to show at the joint Plastics Europe stand (Hall A6, Stand 121) how carbon can be kept in the cycle using different recycling processes and alternative raw material sources. For Ralf Düssel, Chairman of Plastics Europe Germany, the discussions at IFAT 2024 are cause for optimism. "In the circular economy, plastics producers, recyclers and environmental organisations are pursuing a common vision," he said at the start of the trade fair on Monday. What is needed is a minimisation of resource consumption and an extension of the service life of plastic applications. In order to enable a circular economy for plastics, "waste avoidance, recyclable product design, alternative raw material sources, reusable systems, electrification, intelligent collection and sorting of plastic waste and recycling processes" should be interlinked. In addition, the use of fossil resources should be significantly reduced in all phases of the value chain and replaced by alternative raw materials such as biomass, recycled materials and carbon dioxide. It was also important to strengthen reuse systems, the right to repair and design for recycling. "We already have all the technologies we need to keep plastics in the cycle," emphasised Düssel. Now it was a question of how and in what order the right incentives should be set in order to modernise production processes and drive the transformation towards a circular economy as quickly as possible.
 
Further information: Link to the Plastics Europe virtual trade fair stand
 
Sources:

• Press release Plastics Europe Deutschland (13.5.2024)
• Photo: © Plastics Europe Deutschland