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Back2Back - Systemic Take-Back Infrastructure

Back2Back - Systemic Take-Back Infrastructure

Project Period: April 2025 – Marts 2026

Project Status: In Progress  Pool: TRACE Pool 3.2

Lead: Danish Technological Institute

The Back2Back project aims to bridge a critical gap in the circular economy by establishing a systemic, cross-industrial take-back infrastructure for durable business-to-business (B2B) textile, plastic, and electronic products. By creating an efficient take-back system, a digital decision support system (DSS), and circular business models, the project will enable sustainable value retention and resource efficiency across industries. 

Successful implementation of Back2Back will significantly reduce resource consumption, contributing to an annual reduction of 50,000 tons CO2e and generating an additional revenue of 200-300 million DKK for project partners. The initiative is a pivotal component within the Trace partnership and aligns with Denmark’s circular economy transition goals. 

Project Partners: Grundfos, Danfoss, Scheider Electric, Kvadrat, DSV, DXC Technology, Stena Circular Consulting, Danish Technological Institute (DTI), Aalborg University (AAU), and Linköping University (LiU).

Project results: Input to EU Circular Economy Act

Circularity is challenged by waste definitions

The Back2Back consortium has submitted a position paper as input to EU Circular Economy Act to highlight a critical legislative barrier for the development of the waste definitions under the EU Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) to align with destination-based waste criteria rather than criteria base on the holders intention. 

Recommendation: To achieve the Circular Economy Act's objectives and enable scalable take-back solutions, the consortium partners recommend harmonizing the EU waste definition with the most effective international standards by adopting destination-based waste criteria. This reform would:

• Reduce administrative barriers for circular economy initiatives
• Improve economic viability of take-back schemes
• Enhance EU competitiveness in global circular markets
• Accelerate progress towards circular economy targets

The consortium stands ready to collaborate with EU policymakers in developing implementation frameworks that maintain environmental protection while enabling the scalable circular solutions Europe needs.

For more information, find the position paper her: 

Project Lead

Søren Haag