Page 56 - Plastics News April 2024

BUSINESS NEWS

EN 15343 and Recyclass for both
recyclers and converters by offering
certification that allows companies to
demonstrate the amount of recycled
material in its packaging and therefore
reduce the impact of taxes on non-
reusable plastic packaging.
Other key services are related to as-
sessing the recyclability of products
in accordance with the protocols
of Plastics Recycling Europe (PRE)
and the Association of Plastics Recy-
clers (APR) in the United States. The
Centre also provides reuse testing to
demonstrate reusability through the
terms of R&D were ecodesign; the obtain bioplastics from conventional Designed to be Reusable label and
incorporation of bio-based, recy- plastics; and RECICAUTXU, which the development of new test meth-
cled, recyclable, biodegradable and seeks solutions for recovering end-of- ods for the identification and charac-
compostable materials; the develop- life tyres for use in construction. terisation of microplastics. In addition,
ment of new business models based Technological services and training AIMPLAS covers all aspects related
on repair and reuse; improvements In terms of technological services, to ecodesign, environmental impact
in waste collection, management and AIMPLAS worked with more than through life cycle assessment (LCA)
separation systems; optimisation of 600 companies on 1,100 services re- and carbon footprinting through the
mechanical, chemical and enzymatic lated to the circular economy in 2023 corporate carbon footprint certifi-
recycling processes to obtain qual- and increased its turnover in consul- cation, which will be mandatory for
ity materials for use in high value- tancy and laboratory services by more companies in the coming years.
added applications; obtaining plastics than 30% compared to the previous In the area of training, 76 training ac-
from agri-food waste; and recovery year. In fact, the Centre’s laboratory tivities and conferences were held
through biodegradation and compost- services include the most accredited with the attendance of more than
ing processes. tests for the plastics industry in Spain, 1,500 professionals from some 900
Specifically, in the area of R&D pro- which means that companies were companies. These activities included
jects, a total of 206 projects related able to verify the sustainability of their the new professional degree in the
to the circular economy were pre- products and publicise it by obtaining circular economy, which was very
sented last year, 10% more than in ecolabels. well received in its first and second
the previous year. These projects in- Furthermore, in 2023, AIMPLAS editions, the eighth edition of the In-
cluded RASPONS, whose results are continued to increase its biodegrada- ternational Seminar on Biopolymers
cardboard-like compostable products tion capacities, as well as related ac- and Sustainable Composites, as well
from agricultural by-products from creditations, such as DIN CERTCO as the second edition of the Interna-
the wine sector; FUSTARISE, which in Europe and BPI certification in the tional Seminar on Recycling, which
uses mechanochemistry to obtain sus- United States, thus complementing its was attended by more than 300 peo-
tainable adhesives and packaging from TÜV Austria certification and offering ple. Organisation of the sixth edition
pruning waste; ELLIPSE, a European the most complete laboratory for bio- of MeetingPack in collaboration with
project that recovers slaughterhouse degradation and compostability tests AINIA, which will take place on 10-11
waste and sludge and paper pulp for under aerobic and anaerobic condi- April, has also started. Furthermore,
applications in agriculture and person- tions in different media. the seventh edition of the Plastics and
al care; RECRITIC, in which electrical Circular Economy conference, a na-
and electronic equipment is recycled AIMPLAS has also positioned itself as tional benchmark in the field, will be
to recover critical raw materials; a benchmark in certifications for the held on 7 November.
BIOICEP, which develops methods to use of recycled plastic in packaging Source: interplas insights
in accordance with standards UNE-
58 PLASTICS NEWS April 2024