Press releases

Composite materials made from different types of plastic often extend the lifetime of products but make recycling more difficult in the circular economy. That is why Fraunhofer CCPE has developed the “Monomaterial Design Set”. This new approach helps to reduce the variety of plastics used in durable products and offers circular solutions for designers and product developers.

Interactive map by Fraunhofer shows 2.8 Mt/a planned capacity but only 0.29 Mt/a operational. Pyrolysis dominates the project pipeline (1.68 Mt/a planned), while larger gasification plants remain unbuilt. Three solvent-based/solvolysis plants deliver 27 kt/a in operation.

Eleven Fraunhofer institutes will be showcasing their innovations at K, the world’s leading trade fair for plastics and rubber, to be held in Düsseldorf from October 8 through 15. These advances include everything from circular design and monomaterials to bio-based films and polyamides made from various production residues. Different material flows will be illustrated in tangible ways in an interactive miniature wonderland of the circular economy.

The recycling industry faces major challenges, especially when it comes to sorting plastics. The Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE invites anyone interested in this topic to an online seminar on October 2, 2025, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event will focus on innovative sorting technologies, which are considered key to improving the recycling of plastics.

Improving the quality of recycled plastics through innovative odor scavengers is the focus of the “GINA – Odor Scavengers for Industrial Applications” project run by the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE. Industrial partners are invited to actively participate in this forward-looking project and benefit from valuable expertise.

The Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE and Plastics Europe Deutschland have announced a joint event on October 9, 2025 at the K Trade Fair. The “Circular Thursday” will take place as part of the special show Plastics Shape the Future in Hall 6, Stand C40, and will present approaches to achieving a climate-neutral circular economy for plastics. K is the world’s leading trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry. As the second themed day of the K 2025 programme, Circular Thursday will focus entirely on circularity and sustainable innovation.

Two days full of interesting discussions and presentations - that was the conclusion of the first Circular Valley Convention at the Areal Böhler in Düsseldorf.

From sustainable product developments and exciting masterclasses to an interactive ‘miniature wonderland’ - visitors can discover circular approaches to shaping the future of the plastics industry. At the Circular Valley Convention (CVC) 2025 in Düsseldorf from 12 to 13 March 2025, the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE will be presenting innovative solutions for a circular plastics economy.

As part of the new “CircularInFoam” project, researchers at Fraunhofer CCPE are developing sustainable, circular insulation materials based on recyclates and biopolymers. In view of the challenges in the building sector, which is responsible for 35% of final energy consumption in Germany, the project aims to reduce heat loss and support climate neutrality by 2045. Preliminary work is already being presented at BAU 2025 in Munich.