The closing session of the Circularity: ON event, dedicated to presenting the results of the Sustainable Plastics Mobilizing Agenda, took place on November 4th at the delegation of the Portuguese Plastics Industry Association (APIP), in Oliveira de Azeméis. Ricardo Banha, Digital Transition Coordinator of the Recover Portugal Mission Structure, highlighted the role of Mobilizing Agendas in transforming knowledge into new products and processes.
Supported by the PRR, the Sustainable Plastics initiative brought together 49 entities and focused on 14 products, processes, and services (PPS) to make the Portuguese plastics industry more circular and competitive. Among the results are posts for telecommunications infrastructure produced entirely from recycled materials, designed to be recycled at the end of their useful life, replacing chemically treated wooden posts.
In the packaging sector, solutions incorporating mussel shells were presented for the pharmaceutical, food, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries, along with an automatic inspection system. Also noteworthy are label-free bottles with QR codes and digital markings for consumer information and recycling sorting support.
Other innovations include polymer closing rings for barrels with recycled plastic, which are lighter and reusable, and single-material plastic coffee capsules to facilitate recycling. The transformation of recycled and bio-based PET into functional non-woven fibers and fabrics, with validation of antibacterial properties and industrial-scale testing, was also presented.
