Who will be the pick of plastics innovation?

The Plastics Recycling Europe Awards 2024 are now open for entries with seven categories up for grabs.es.

Recyclers, technology specialists, retailers, packaging producers, designers and others can share their innovations and the closing date for entries is Friday 8 December.

The categories are:

• Automotive, Electrical or Electronic Product
• Building & Construction Product
• Household & Leisure Product
• Plastic Packaging Product
• Product Technology Innovation
• Recycling Machinery Innovation
• Plastics Recycling Ambassador

To qualify, entries must meet a number of criteria. For example, products and innovations must be designed, developed or manufactured in Europe. Also, products must contain a minimum of 50% recycled plastic content. Not least, all entries must promote sustainability and circular economy.

Winners will be announced during the seventh edition of the PRSE expo in Amsterdam. It will take place on 19-20 June.

All winners will receive a 3D printed trophy made from recycled plastic car dashboards and bottle caps.

‘Since the first awards, we have seen outstanding progress in the evolving technology and applications for plastics recycling,’ says Plastics Recyclers Europe president Ton Emans. ‘We hope the awards will motivate the industry actors to further boost the use of recycled plastics and accelerate the achievement of recycling targets.’

Who won last time?

• Automotive, Electrical & Electronic Product: Electrolux 700 GreenZone MaxiSpace fridge freezer by Electrolux and Coolrec, featuring the recycler’s High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) recycled polymer.
• Product Technology Innovation: Avient Color Prediction Service by Avient Corporation, which digitally illustrates the colour possibilities or limitations of certain types of post-consumer recycled material.
• Recycling Machinery Innovation: Two-stage process for more energy efficient plastics recycling by Engel Austria, which eliminates granulation from the plastics recycling process, as regrind is processed directly in the injection moulding machine in the form of flakes.
• Building & Construction Product: Ridgidrain by Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation, made with post-consumer waste from HDPE milk and bleach bottles.
• Household & Leisure Product: Gardena Eco Line by Husqvarna Group.
• Plastic Packaging Product: Container for fertilizer made of recycled plastics by PreZero Polymers, Kunststoff Recycling Grünstadt & Compo.
• Plastics Recycling Ambassador: Manfred Hackl from Erema Group.