Digital innovation drives closed-loop plastics circular economy

Collaborative platform designed by igus and cirplus to drive the future of the recycled plastics industry

Plastic products are so versatile that they have become indispensable in everyday life. However, when they reach the end of their useful life, they are usually sent to incinerators. In order to conserve resources and protect the environment, it is essential to promote the sustainable development of plastics. That's why sports plastics specialist igus has launched the Chainge recycling platform to enable the recycling of industrial plastics and invested in the Hamburg-based startup cirplus. the two companies share a common vision: to work towards a closed-loop plastics circular economy and to lead the way in revolutionizing the technological field of recycled materials and standard thermoplastics.

igus' Chainge recycling program proves that realizing a circular economy is actually quite easy and can be attempted by pioneering new recycling categories. Back in 2019. igus recognized this and launched the Chainge drag chain recycling program to help customers recycle used drag chains, including those from other manufacturers. in October 2022. the Chainge recycling platform went live, giving igus its own digital plastics recycling channel and bringing engineering plastics, which were previously difficult to recycle, into the circular economy. economy. It also ensures that processors can purchase recycled plastics that meet quality standards, helping them to achieve their recycling goals. Now, to further advance the digital plastics circular economy, igus has invested in cirplus, a plastics recycling startup.

Empowering the plastics circular economy with digital technology

While igus has extensive experience in the recycling of engineering plastics, cirplus is primarily active in the recycling of standard thermoplastics. The Hamburg-based startup manages and operates an online marketplace for recyclable plastics, where companies operating in all segments of the plastics scrap recycling, processing and reuse chain can trade standard plastics for recycling worldwide in a reliable, traceable and cost-effective way. This specialized digital recycling team is currently working to promote a systematic and robust plastics recycling industry. To this end, cirplus was one of the initiators of the development and publication of the DIN SPEC 91446 and DIN SPEC 91481 standards for the assessment of high-quality plastics recycling. The aim of this initiative is to provide a uniform set of specifications that will help companies establish a reliable and transparent digital supply chain for recycled and recyclable plastics. Among other things, the DIN SPEC 91446 standard has also won the DIN Award of the Year 2022 from the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) in the category of climate protection and innovation.” The common goal of “making plastics recycling easier” brought igus and cirplus together.

The cooperation between igus and cirplus defines the next phase of digital recycling of engineering and standard plastics.

Michael Blass (left), head of the igus drag chain division, and Christian Schiller (right), CEO of cirplus, are very pleased to have entered into this cooperation. (Source: igus GmbH)

The advantages of synergies are fully realized

With the Chainge platform, igus offers its customers a convenient recycling channel for engineering plastics. The cooperation with cirplus gives igus a strong digital standard plastics recycling partner. In the future, customers will be able to easily and transparently trade in recycled materials related to engineering plastics and standard thermoplastics in a one-stop shop via a web link. As a specialist in sports plastics, igus has 60 years of experience in the development and production of engineering plastics and a global supply and distribution network, which guarantees a stable supply of materials. These, combined with cirplus' recycling experience and platform resources, make the next phase of digital recycling of engineering and standard plastics a clear direction. By establishing a strategic partnership, both parties hope to lay the foundation for the creation of the world's largest artificial intelligence platform for plastics recycling.” In order to broaden our business scope and customer base, we have decided to establish a partnership with cirplus.” Michael Blass, head of the igus drag chain division, said, “With this investment, we hope to provide some new ideas to drive sustainability and drive more substantial initiatives through the system.” Christian Schiller, CEO of cirplus, added: “igus is a partner that shares our values and we will work together to advance the digitization of the plastics industry and work towards the eventual realization of closed-loop plastics recycling. igus has a lot of experience in engineering plastics recycling, and we are very familiar with digitization and standard thermoplastic recycling are very well versed, which provides an important foundation for realizing a closed-loop plastics circular economy.”