Plastics

A broad partnership covering the entire material lifecycle

CFIT brings together ten diverse partners: Four universities, five leading companies, and a RTO. This broad partnership has been essential for generating deep, cross-disciplinary insights. The project wishes to share results, learnings, and perspectives that provide useful knowledge and insights to enable sustainable high-quality plastic recycling.
The project covers the entire material lifecycle – from material science and product design to consumer use, collection, sorting, and recycling – tackling the complex interdependencies between technology, economy, and the environment.
To manage its broad scope, the project was organized into four working groups each with a specific focus area. These are described below.

Videos from a 2-day webinar
In order share the main learnings from the project, the partnership held a 2-day webinar. The videos below are recordings from the webinar. Each video represents a webinar session corresponding to a working group and is a collection of presentations and a panel perspectivation. The CFIT project is briefly introduced by Project Manager Line Rold Tousgaard both in the videos for Working group 1 and 3.

Working group 1: Plastic Circularity

This area focuses on achieving "true plastic circularity," where plastic materials maintain their highest possible value through multiple use cycles. The primary goal is to move beyond conventional "downcycling," where a high-grade material (like food-grade plastic) is recycled into lower-quality products (like flowerpots) before being incinerated.
With a key focus on closed-loop recycling to keep the material in the highest possible quality loop, the group takes a holistic view of the entire value chain, starting with design for recycling. This involves making conscious choices about polymer types, additives, product design and construction to facilitate disassembly and recycling. Here, it is key to understand the requirements for individual products in closed loop and ensure the right involvement and input from both internal and external resources. These learnings are essential for making the best possible decisions in actual cases of closed loop recycling.
The working group also explores sorting possibilities for plastic materials using different techniques for different purposes, to further look into how complexity in production can be accommodated when adding recycled material. The group highlights the need for industrial collaboration, even among competitors, to generate sufficient volumes for these systems to be viable.

Direct links to video chapters

0:00:00:  Introduction (Line Rold Tousgaard and Mathias Kirk Thøgersen, Danish Technological Institute)

0:12:40 Design for recycling (Frode Nygård, Novo Nordisk)

0:26:49 Closed-loop sorting at Trebo (Thomas Trebbien, Trebo)

0:40:09 Spectral imaging (Maria Vetter Poulsen, The LEGO Group)

0:52:07 Dynamic recipes (Brian Vejrum Wæhrens, Aalborg University)

1:04:18 Recycled materials in production (Jacob Moberg Sandager, Novo Nordisk)

1:13:01 Panel discussion

1:36:30 Closing remarks

Working group 2: Material Understanding & Recycling Potential

This working group takes a deep dive into the fundamental science of plastics to understand how their properties change during use and recycling. The research acknowledges that "plastic is not just plastic"; different polymers like polyamide (PA), ABS, and polypropylene (PP) have unique chemical structures and properties that dictate their performance and recycling potential.
The work in this area investigates specific degradation mechanisms, such as those caused by heat, light, and mechanical stress during processing. This fundamental understanding is crucial for predicting material performance, developing strategies to mitigate degradation (e.g., through stabilizers), and setting realistic expectations for how many times a material can be recycled before its quality diminishes beyond use. The key message is that a deep material understanding is essential for designing both durable products and effective recycling processes.

Direct links to video chapters

0:00:00 Introduction (Jacob Serup Ramsay, Danish Technological Institute)

0:05:01 Technical challenges of recycling during moulding process (Søren Kristiansen, LEGO)

0:08:54 Diversity in plastics (Jacob Moberg Sandager, Novo Nordisk)

0:18:54 Mechanical recycling of polyamide (PA) (Anders Egede Daugaard, DTU)

0:36:48 Recycling potential for ABS (Mogens Hinge, Aarhus University)

0:58:53 Polypropylene (PP) recycling possibilities

1:22:12 Panel discussion

1:38:07 Closing remarks

Working group 3: Evaluation & Decision Basis

This working group addresses the critical need for robust tools and frameworks to help companies make informed decisions about their circular initiatives. Transitioning to a circular model involves significant strategic, operational, and economic considerations, and it is vital to ensure that new initiatives deliver real environmental and business benefits.
A central outcome of this working group is the development of a dynamic Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool. This tool is designed to be accessible to non-experts, such as product designers and logistics managers, allowing them to model and evaluate the impact of different circular scenarios in real-time. For example, they can assess how changes in collection rates, sorting efficiency, or recycled content affect the product's overall carbon footprint.
Case studies, such as the analysis of the Matas take-back scheme, demonstrated how detailed evaluations can reveal crucial insights – from the importance of packaging design for minimizing product residue to the need for strong consumer incentives to drive participation. This working group emphasizes that successful circularity requires data-driven decisions that balance environmental impact with business viability, and that decisions are taking based on both data tools and experiences in pilot systems.

Direct links to video chapters

0:00:00: Introduction (Line Rold Tousgaard and Trine Bøje Røgild, Danish Technological Institute)

0:14:30 Takeback return systems (Frode Nygård, Novo Nordisk)

0:27:52 Circularity calculator (Heath Logan, DTU)

0:42:51 Matas takeback scheme (Rikke Højris Bæk, Matas Group, and Anders Damgaard, DTU)

01:11:56 Panel discussion

1:31:53 Closing remarks

Working group 4: Infrastructure & Value Chains

This working group concentrates on the practical implementation of circular systems, emphasizing the importance of infrastructure, collaboration, and consumer engagement. A core principle is that "you cannot be circular alone." Success depends on building committed partnerships across the entire value chain, from raw material suppliers to recyclers and consumers.
The work explores the logistical and economic challenges of establishing large-scale take-back systems. Learnings highlight the necessity of industrial collaboration to achieve scale, the importance of aligning with regulatory frameworks, and the need for clear communication to motivate consumers. Consumer preference studies revealed a strong desire for convenience. This highlights a central challenge: balancing the need for clean, specific material streams (favoring closed-loop systems) with the consumer's need for simplicity (favoring large, open systems). This group sees and works with the importance of building a viable circular infrastructure that requires a systemic approach that aligns technology, business models, consumer behavior, and policy.

Direct links to video chapters

0:00:00: Introduction (Line Rold Tousgaard, Danish Technological Institute)

0:03:48 Recycling vs. reuse in closed loop (Brian Vejrum Wæhrens, Aalborg University)

0:16:26 Don't forget the consumers (Søren Bøye Olsen, University of Copenhagen)

0:38:13 Returpen: Collaboration across the value chain is the key to success (Niels Otterstrøm Jensen, Novo Nordisk)

0:58:24 Panel discussion

1:20:45 Closing remarks