Circular transition of the heating- and chemical industries: Cooperations for less plastics to energy recovery

Purpose and goal:

The overall aim is to increase resource efficiency in the plastic value chain and reduce plastic that is sent to waste incineration.

The main goal of the project is to create a broad national collaboration between policy actors, stakeholders and experts regarding selected, large plastic waste flows and to design action plans for reduced incineration of these. The work contributes to a climate neutral and circular transition of the Swedish chemical industry and the district heating system that involves actors in the entire plastic value chain.

Expected results and effects:

The work contributes to policy development in many ways, for example industry through agreements around plastic waste sorting, procurement requirements and specifications for plastic products, criteria for waste for incineration and standardization processes as well as supervisory guidance and knowledge dissemination.

In the long term, increased plastic circularity contributes to national and sectoral climate goals, increasing resource efficiency by providing recycled raw materials to the chemical industry and thereby reducing dependence on primary fossil resources. Approach and implementation:

Work is done in two packages. The first gathers actors in case studies around large plastic flows, e.g. construction plastic and plastic in municipal waste, where the flows are first mapped. Action plans are drawn up with measures from the actors to ensure that the plastic is not incinerated.

The second is about reducing policy-related obstacles in existing legislation. The outcome is a report that lists existing and upcoming policy-related barriers and incentives for each case study, and suggestions for how future strategies and policy instruments for plastics should be designed.