Insights, trends and developments in recyclates and recycling
Stay up to date with the latest developments in plastic recycling. plastship provides insights into market trends, regulatory changes and technological developments shaping the circular economy.
The plastics circular economy is undergoing significant transformation.
Regulatory requirements, technological innovation and market dynamics are increasingly influencing the use of recyclates.
Our content helps you interpret these developments and make informed decisions. We provide insights through:
▪️internal news
▪️expert articles
▪️studies and interviews
▪️industry events
Insights, trends and developments from across the industry.
Explore our latest articles and expert content.
February 6, 2026 · Waldems, January 2025 – With a clear focus on system establishment, digitalization, partnerships, and practical solutions, plastship kicks off the new year. The mission remains unchanged: to further promote the use of recyclates and strengthen the circular economy. Through initiatives such as the Plastics Recycling Taskforce, the Recycled Material Benchmark, and expanded sourcing activities, plastship aims to set new standards and accelerate progress in the industry.
December 8, 2025 · The plastics circular economy is undergoing a profound transformation. New regulatory requirements such as the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), economic pressure and technological innovation are colliding with a historically grown industry that must fundamentally rethink its structures, processes and mindsets. Tensions arise between ambition and reality – but so do new opportunities.
In conversation with Dr Peter Orth, chemist, long-standing industry expert and co-editor of the specialist book “Circular Economy of Plastics – From Plastics Recycling Towards Feedstock Transformation”, we discuss the actual state of the circular economy, the limits of political steering, the real value of digitalisation – and why responsibility and cooperation ultimately matter more than any individual technology.
December 4, 2025 · Eurostat has published the EU’s new packaging waste figures for 2023. For the first time in years, they show a clear reduction in the amount of waste generated per capita. At the same time, it becomes evident that structural differences between EU Member States remain significant – and that plastic packaging, in particular, continues to make the path towards European targets a challenging one.
November 7, 2025 · Qualität, Vertrauen und Transparenz – offiziell bestätigt
In October 2025, plastship GmbH was successfully certified by TÜV NORD CERT GmbH according to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management).
October 30, 2025 · A strong network for waste management companies, recyclers and solution providers – shaping innovation together
Perspectives, experience and insights
Gain valuable insights into circular plastics from leading industry experts.
In an interview with Thorsten Hilgers, project manager for plastics in HPF’s product development, we explore how mineral additives can improve the quality of plastic recyclates, what challenges exist, and how collaboration with plastship strengthens the circular economy.
Plastship in conversation with Jeroen Glansdorp, CEO & Co-founder of Veridis: achieving a sustainable future through innovation and collaboration
Dr. Dirk Textor in an interview with plastship about the current status of plastics recycling.
Jan Bauer, Managing Director of RIGK GmbH, discusses with plastship the challenges that the industry faces in implementing the circular economy.
Through research projects and collaborations, new approaches are developed to improve:
▪️material quality
▪️availability
▪️recyclate applications
July 24, 2025 · Greater efficiency, higher quality, more recycling – this is the goal of the KISS project.
Together with strong industry partners and under the leadership of RIGK GmbH, plastship is working to analyse, optimise, and bring greater transparency to plastic material flows through the use of artificial intelligence.
February 6, 2025 · Waldems, February 2025 – Since its launch in July 2024, the KISS project (“AI-based qualification, management, and optimisation of material flows to close regional resource cycles”) has demonstrated that artificial intelligence (AI) can make the circular economy for plastics more efficient and sustainable. As a key partner, plastship is working alongside RIGK GmbH, RAM GmbH and Veridis Technologies to improve the targeted collection and high-quality recycling of used plastics from industry, commerce, and agriculture in Hesse.
August 15, 2024 · Welcome to "Rezy-Spezi" – a research project for advanced solutions in recycled material use. In light of the growing importance of sustainability and the circular economy, Rezy-Spezi is dedicated to exploring efficient applications of recycled materials across various industries. Our focus is on identifying potential uses for recycled materials through the systematic analysis of relevant standards and requirements. Together, we are shaping a sustainable future.
May 31, 2024 · In their joint research project "Rezy-Spezi," the Kunststoff-Zentrum SKZ and plastship GmbH not only identified barriers to the use of secondary materials in plastic processing. They also developed actionable recommendations for the industry to increase recycled plastics content in the future.
October 1, 2021 · Despite millions of tonnes of post-consumer waste being collected annually, the utilization rate of post-consumer recyclate in Germany's total plastic production remains very low at 5.6 percent. To address this, SKZ and plastship GmbH are launching the SmaKuRez project. This initiative will provide plastic processors with a service system database, enabling them to increasingly and reliably replace virgin plastics with recyclates.
Get in touch with us for further information or discussion.
Through data-driven insights, practical experience and market expertise.
It defines framework conditions for recyclate use and reshapes market structures.
They directly impact sourcing, pricing and material availability.
- regulatory pressure
- digitalisation
- increasing quality requirements
