New research reveals significant differences in climate benefits between different methods of recycling plastic packaging. IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Swedish Plastics Recycling and life cycle analysis researcher Tomas Ekvall show in a new scientific report that high-quality material recycling through advanced sorting has a significantly lower climate impact than material recycling without sorting (downcycling). In fact, downcycling has almost as much climate impact as incinerating the plastic. The new report highlights the need for stricter requirements and more appropriate policy instruments.
The study is the first of its kind to compare different mechanical recycling methods through a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) focusing on emissions throughout the entire plastic value chain. The value chain includes raw material extraction, material production, waste management and energy production.
The expert group has compared high-quality material recycling through advanced sorting of different types of plastic with material recycling without sorting (downcycling). The calculations of carbon dioxide emissions have been made based on three scenarios for the handling of plastic packaging from Swedish households (excluding deposit-bearing PET):
- Reference scenario: Direct incineration with energy recovery, i.e. no sorting and material recycling
- Downcycling: Mixed plastic waste is recycled without sorting into railway sleepers (plastic replaces wood in sleepers).
- High-quality material recycling through advanced sorting: sorting of mixed plastic waste where each type of plastic (polymer fraction) is recycled separately, based on what is technically and practically possible today.
The study is based, among other things, on real data from Svensk Plaståtervinning’s Site Zero facility.
The results indicate that downcycling only reduces climate impact by 4 per cent compared to the reference scenario of incineration without material recycling.
When high-quality recycling through advanced sorting is compared to the reference scenario, climate impact is reduced by 27 per cent.
- The study’s results show that high-quality recycling through advanced sorting is better for the climate than downcycling, says Rickard Jansson, development engineer at Svensk Plaståtervinning and member of the expert group. He continues:
- In addition to reducing emissions from incineration, this method makes it possible to reuse large portions of the recycled material in new plastic packaging or other high-quality plastic products. This reduces the need for new plastic from fossil raw materials, leading to more resource-efficient plastic use.
Need for stricter requirements and new, appropriate control measures
Current regulations for material recycling of plastic packaging waste in Sweden prioritise material recycling over incineration, but do not take into account how different recycling methods affect the climate, resource efficiency and the possibility of increased circularity.
- With this insight, we need to quickly tighten requirements and introduce adequate control measures. High-quality material recycling through advanced sorting must become the norm, otherwise we will lock ourselves into a linear economy with high climate impact and waste of resources, says Mattias Philipsson, CEO of Svensk Plaståtervinning. He further emphasises that:
- This will be crucial for Sweden to achieve its climate goals and for us to be able to supply the market with recycled raw materials in accordance with EU requirements (PPWR). High-quality material recycling through advanced sorting is a prerequisite for a circular plastics economy.
Conclusions that may have international implications
The report’s conclusions are also relevant internationally, where the EU has already stated that future recycling requirements need to be geared towards high-quality material recycling, for which advanced sorting is a prerequisite. The findings of this report reinforce that vision of the future.
The results of the study have been presented at several international scientific conferences.
Facts about the report:
The report, entitled “Comparing high-quality recycling and downcycling of plastics – Calculating carbon footprints using a basket of functions approach”, is available for download here.
The work was carried out by Tomas Ekvall, researcher at TERRA, Linnea Granström and Rickard Jansson at Svensk Plaståtervinning, and Emma Moberg and Tomas Rydberg, researchers at IVL.
The project was funded by the Swedish Institute for Water and Air Research (SIVL) and Svensk Plaståtervinning.
For further information, please contact:
Mattias Philipsson, CEO Svensk Plaståtervinning
Tel: 070-380 82 76
Mejl: mattias.philipsson@svenskplastatervinning.se
Rickard Jansson, Development engineer, Svensk Plaståtervinning
Tel: 0767-99 90 18
Mejl: rickard.jansson@svenskplastatervinning.se
Tomas Ekvall, Researcher, TERRA
Tel: 0703-789003
Mejl: terra@tomasekvall.se
Emma Moberg, Researcher, IVL
Tel: 010-788 68 64
Mejl: emma.moberg@ivl.se
