This 36-month Sol-Rec2 project targets the development and implementation of ground-breaking strategies for improving the sorting, separation and recycling of pharma blister packs and laminate consumer packaging waste consisting of multiple layers of polymers and aluminium. Innovative digital watermark technologies will be further developed and progressed to TRL6 through successful demonstration of rapid and efficient sorting of multi-layer packaging. Experience from working in the field of ionic liquids will be leveraged to develop a toolbox of novel green solvent systems (TRL5) that can delaminate multi-layer packaging material and selectively dissolve target polymers – reducing demand for virgin raw materials through efficient separation and recovery of high purity PE, PP and PVC polymers and aluminium. Socioeconomic and environmental benefits of Sol-Rec2 will be established through detailed life cycle analyses. An exciting consortium of SMEs, research organisations and universities from 6 EU countries has been established, consisting of IPM2 (FR-SME), Aimplas (ES-RTO), FiliGrade (NL-SME), TWI (UK-RTO), University of Leicester (UK-UNI), Solvionic (FR-SME), Plastigram (CZ-SME) and Mikrolin (HU-SME). Partners bring a wealth of experience to the project covering plastic waste collection and sorting, digital watermarks, ionic liquids, polymer dissolution, recycling of multi-layer materials, reuse of polymers, eco-design and life cycle assessments. Generated knowledge will help to accelerate innovative recycling within Eastern Europe and reduce the complexity of multi-layer materials, leading to the design of more sustainable laminate packaging. Sol-Rec2 will deliver sustainable production of high purity polymers and aluminium – providing recyclers with a valuable income stream, minimising the environmental impact and carbon footprint associated with virgin plastics production and bauxite mining whilst also making a valuable contribution to the circular economy.

Urban areas are seeing an increasing population of older people and existing approaches to care for them are becoming unsustainable creating a European wide societal challenge. Assistive technology can provide them with security that will enable them to live independently e.g. wearing alarms and tracking devices around the arm or neck to alert carers to falls or their location if they wander. However such technology is often unsightly and stigmatises the user resulting in high abandonment rates. The MATUROLIFE project will integrate creative artists and fashion designers into the research team to facilitate design-driven innovation. The project will build on existing technological advances in materials which have produced a highly innovative selective metallisation process that utilises nanotechnology, electrochemistry and materials science to encapsulate fibres in textiles with metal and thereby provide conductivity and electronic connectivity. In this way, better integration of electronics and sensors into fabrics and textiles will be possible. This will give the fashion designers and artists the tools to produce AT for older people that is not only functional but is more desirable and appealing as well as being lighter and more comfortable. Building on exiting best practice the consortium will include societal stakeholder groups representing end users (i.e. older people) who will be heavily involved in the design process as well as giving feedback and direction on the development of AT prototypes contributing significantly to end-user acceptance. The prototypes will demonstrate proof of concept and the industrial scalability of the selective metallisation process will be validated. Thus, the project will end at TRL7. The Assistive Technology produced as a result of the project will benefit all the SMEs in the consortium but particularly those in the creative sector who expect to see sustainable growth and an increase in jobs as a direct result of the project.