Press and Media

The Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE has presented a position paper on the state of the art in science and technology of recycling technologies for plastics. The focus is on chemical recycling processes. A market analysis shows current industry activities. In addition, the Fraunhofer competence landscape in plastics recycling is presented in an overview.

The project for the modernisation of waste management in Tunisia under the leadership of the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT Sulzbach-Rosenberg is entering the implementation phase. In three model regions the cleanliness in the municipalities as well as the added value through recycling will be increased. At the same time, the pollutant load is to be reduced by collecting hazardous waste separately. The Bavarian State Chancellery is funding the project with EUR 960,000.

The Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE and its Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT have developed an advanced recycling process for used plastics. The pilot project with SABIC and Procter & Gamble serves to demonstrate the feasibility of closed-loop recycling for single-use facemasks.

The Sulzbach-Rosenberg branch of the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT has a new director. On 1 March, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Franke took over the leadership role from Prof. Dr. Andreas Hornung. Hornung will remain with the institute section as Senior Expert for Bioeconomy. Samir Binder continues to be the deputy head of the institute section.

Phy2Climate - A global approach to reclaiming agricultural land through a combination of phytoremediation, biofuel production and climate-friendly copper smelting.

We thank you for the trustful cooperation and your support in this extraordinary year. The crisis has shown us once again what a transformation of the economy towards sustainable energy production and recycling of resources also means: becoming more resilient to disruptions. Many of our ongoing projects, as well as new ones, are helping to increase the resilience of our society.