Germany Unveils Innovative Open Hub Days Focusing on Plastic Recycling
Germany is set to host a pioneering event revolving around plastic recycling and sustainability, with the 'Open Hub Days' scheduled to take place from November 4 to 12, 2024. This event, highlighting the critical themes of Artificial Intelligence and Circular Economy, will be held across four key locations: Aachen, Darmstadt, Dresden, and Nuremberg. It aims to open doors to the public, introducing innovative approaches to the plastics and packaging industry transformation.
Among the participating organisations is SÜDPACK, a leader in circularity and sustainability. The company is particularly dedicated to increasing the recycled content in films and compounds during film production, a focus that will be prominently featured during the event. The involvement of SÜDPACK is part of a broader initiative in the KiOptiPack innovation lab, which brings together various partners committed to advancing packaging development using recycled plastics.
The event will present live demonstrations illustrating how data integration from material production, testing, processing, recyclability assessments, and eco-balancing can optimise packaging development. By establishing a shared industrial data space, participants hope to uncover new business models that could revolutionise the industry. Additionally, the event seeks to address a primary concern shared by all 51 participating partners: improving the recycling efficiency of post-consumer plastic waste.
Research shared at the event will delve into how the recycled content in polypropylene (PP)-based multilayer films impacts product properties, processing, and manufacturing procedures. PP, akin to polyethylene, is a polymer favoured in packaging due to its recycling compatibility in mono-material composites, which simplifies recycling processes and offers a feasible solution to plastic waste issues.
Beyond theoretical insights, SÜDPACK will share its practical contributions to the circular economy through its competence centre for regranulation and compounding, as well as its involvement in the innovative carboliq direct pyrolysis process. The company anticipates that AI modelling tools and advanced insights from the AI Hub will enable them to optimally combine various recyclate sources to meet specific product requirements. This is expected to enhance the predictability and reproducibility of compound formulations, as well as improve production stability and processing optimisation.
The Dresden event, highlighting SÜDPACK's involvement, will take place on November 12, 2024, at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, Processing Technology Department Dresden. Situated on Heidelberger Strasse 20, the event will be open to the public from 9 am to 6 pm with free admission, offering attendees a unique opportunity to learn about the future of sustainable packaging.
As Germany gears up for this event, participants and visitors alike are expected to gain valuable insights into pushing forward the boundaries of recycling technology and sustainability, meeting at the intersection of innovation and environmental responsibility.
Source: Noah Wire Services