Recycling of plastic – use cases, EU regulations, and future perspectives

IDA Polymer and IDA Miljø invite you to a half-day seminar exploring the present state and future perspectives of plastics recycling.   

The seminar will provide a broad introduction to current and emerging recycling technologies, including their potential and limitations. The program will examine how the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will affect recycled-content requirements and material choices across industries.  

Industrial case studies will illustrate how recycled plastics are already being used in packaging and other applications. The seminar will also explore how technologies such as compatibilizers and other polymer additives can improve material compatibility, processing performance, and the quality of recycled polymers.  

Bringing together perspectives from research, regulation, material suppliers and industry, the seminar will address both the opportunities and the practical challenges involved in increasing the use of recycled plastics. 

Agenda

12.30 – 13.00
Sandwich and networking 

13.00 – 13.05
Welcome   

13.05 – 13.30
EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), Regulation (EU) 2025/40, which introduces mandatory recycled-content requirements for plastic packaging.The impact on different industries and how you can solve for this or work on future-proof solutions. 
Speaker: Christina Busk, Plastindustrien  

13.30-13.55
Recycling technologies, something with challenges and why do we not just do it. We discussed that the presentation could focus on limitations for polymer systems. Pyrolysis, showing what is possible, but also exemplifying which polymers are not. Mechanical recycling and limitations for recycling. Showing degradation during recycling, possibly PP, POM, PA, ABS. 
Speaker: Anders Egede Daugaard, DTU 

13.55-14.10
Break and networking 

14.10-14.30
Nexam Chemical, talking about how compatibilizers can be used to enhance recycling of polymers. Focus on chain extenders, where they mainly focus on polyolefins and PA systems.
Speaker: Christer Svanberg, Nexam Chemical 

14.30-14.50
The Plastic Paradox – Too Good to Give Up, Too Much to Throw Away.Plastic is an extraordinarily useful material – and that is part of the problem. As global prosperity increases, so do plastics consumption and waste, while recycling struggles to keep pace.From a waste and resource perspective, the presentation challenges some common plastic myths and explores how new sorting and recycling technologies can move the boundaries of what we can recover. But is better recycling enough – or do we also need to rethink consumption, reuse and the way plastic products are designed?
Speaker: Jens Mortensen, Marius Pedersen 

14.50-15.10
Royal Unibrew (title and description will follow)
Speaker: Henriette Øllgaard, Royal Unibrew 

15.10-15.40
Panel discussion  

15.40
Thanks for today 

15.45-16.30
Network drinks