How PRecycling made recycled plastics traceable, safe and scalable

To achieve high-quality recycling, the consortium required more than just a database. They needed a methodology to bridge the gap between physical materials and digital information. They needed verifiable, audit-ready evidence that the processes in these industries for handling end-of-life products delivered safe, virgin-like material quality. Traditional paper-based systems or simple declarations were insufficient to support this high-stakes claim, especially for products like toys and appliances with strict safety standards.

The solution needed to:

1. provide end-to-end traceability from raw materials to end-of-life, far beyond tier 1
2. guarantee recyclate integrity by certifying safety and material properties across the entire recycling and manufacturing chain
3. ensure confidential information sharing to protect the intellectual property of all supply chain participants
4. integrate information not only from direct value chain stakeholders, but also from third parties such as laboratories and entities responsible for component analysis and fingerprinting
5. be interoperable and capable of handling dynamic, real-time data
6. deliver audit-ready documentation for regulators and certifiers
7. provide a direct path to compliance with the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation
8. ensure immutable records for safety-critical items like toys, where the chain of custody must be tamper-proof
9. scale across sectors and handle diverse data formats, from textile products to appliance components

Circularise was the only platform that met all these criteria, offering a secure, scalable and supplier-centric approach to transparency.

The project focused on achieving traceability from waste to end product and developing a Digital Product Passport tailored to the unique needs of toys, appliances and textiles. Circularise led the development of a digitalised recyclate management platform, integrating multiple layers of technical verification.

First, the project developed a tracing methodology and fingerprinting approach. It began with Substance Flow Analysis to identify additives and contaminants in waste streams. Working with partners like BASF and AIMEN, Circularise linked results from component analysis, using techniques such as LIBS and RS, implemented by partners, into digital records.

Second, Circularise developed QR-enabled Digital Product Passport use cases for the selected products. Unique and unalterable QR codes can be used for marking physical objects and linking them to data in the Circularise platform. The system certifies recycled material content via mass balance, food safety and toy safety classifications, the presence or absence of specific additives, and further information used for company claims, such as mechanical properties or compliance with additional regulations.

Third, the project enabled decentralised communication using Circularise’s patented technology. Stakeholders can ask Smart Questions about components. For example, a recycler can verify whether a plastic contains a specific fire retardant without the original manufacturer disclosing the full chemical blueprint. QR codes were developed for the selected use cases in each sector, so users can scan and open the website with details of the end product, including its chain of custody, components and previous steps.

The QR code examples shown in the source material include textiles, a washing machine pump filter, a closed-loop toys-to-toys use case, and an open-loop appliances-to-toys use case. 

The collaboration delivered tangible, strategic outcomes that prepare the PRecycling consortium for a circular future:

• Supply chain transparency achieved: Successful digital mapping of three complex circular loops:
  
  • Toy sector: traced a boat toy using two waste streams, one from external toy waste and another from discarded home appliances
  • Home appliances: traced a washing machine pump filter manufactured from refrigerator waste, proving that high-performance components can be sourced from post-consumer streams
  • Textiles: traced a processed textile ready for a new use, originating from curtain waste
• Certified high-quality recyclates: The Digital Product Passport certifies key material characteristics, including the confirmed removal of legacy additives, supporting the safe use of recyclates in sensitive applications like toys and home appliances.
• Digital Product Passports deployed: Launched a functional, sector-specific DPP prototype that aggregates the data being traced in the Circularise platform into a secure, accessible record, publicly available to the wider audience via a QR code.
• Confidential information sharing proven: Demonstrated that competitors and partners can collaborate and share necessary sustainability data using Smart Questioning, while preserving business-critical intellectual property.
• Regulatory preparedness secured: Built a system that is pre-aligned with the data requirements of the EU’s ESPR and CSRD, helping de-risk the compliance journey.
• Audit-ready documentation: Established an immutable, blockchain-backed record of material provenance and chain of custody, providing proof for sustainability claims and certifications.
• Supply chain resilience: By linking material quality data directly to the physical product, the consortium improved the reliability and predictability of the secondary raw material stream, reducing manufacturing risks and increasing the value of the recyclates.

The PRecycling project demonstrated that the Circularise platform is the scalable digital backbone required for the circular economy. The consortium is moving from demonstration to integration. Partners are exploring further commercialisation and exploitation routes for the developed technologies, including using the DPP and verified material data as a core differentiator, and using certified safety and sustainability claims for products containing high-quality PRecycling materials. The project’s methodology, including the data ontology and secure sharing protocols developed by Circularise, can be promoted for adoption across other sectors, including packaging and automotive, triggering significant societal and commercial impact.

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The PRecycling project demonstrates that traceability is the critical enabler that bridges physical circular design and circular business models. The collaboration between Circularise and the PRecycling consortium proves that companies can meet ambitious sustainability goals, comply with evolving regulations and build supply chain resilience without sacrificing competitiveness or intellectual property. The consortium has demonstrated that transparency and intellectual property protection can coexist. This partnership aligns environmental necessity with business success and provides a blueprint for the next generation of sustainable manufacturing.

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