REMADYL aims at recycling so-called ‘old PVC’, i.e. PVC additivated with hazardous legacy substances (LS) such as low molecular weight phthalate plasticisers (mainly DEHP) and heavy metal based stabilisers (mainly lead). This ‘old PVC’ constitutes most of current hard (e.g. window frames, tubes) and soft (e.g. flooring or cables) PVC post-consumer waste. The presence of LS is a persistent barrier for PVC recycling as there are currently no economically viable solutions for their removal. To tackle this major challenge, REMADYL will develop a breakthrough single step continuous process based on extractive extrusion technology in combination with novel solvents and melt filtration, which has the potential of rejuvenating ‘old PVC’ into REACH compliant high purity PVC tuned towards the demands of various soft and hard PVC products at market competitive cost (ca €570/ton, CAPEX and OPEX included). The process also has potential for other plastics applications, e.g. removal of (halogenated) flame retardants. Using this process, REMADYL will demonstrate the circular use of PVC for window profiles and waterproofing sheets, providing a flagship example for the circular economy. The extracted phthalate plasticizers will be safely disposed (with energy valorisation) and the lead will be re-used in batteries. REMADYL will deliver a breakthrough support to the Circular Economy Package and resource efficiency targets for Europe as recovered PVC will reduce incineration and landfilling. Assuming we recycle 400kton/year of ‘old PVC’ waste within 5 years after REMADYL, this will result in a reduction of ca 800ktons CO2eq and 8ktons lead emissions. This also implies the creation of ca 800 new jobs and a turnover of ca €280million. Safety aspects will be studied, leading to best practices, standardisation input and policy recommendations. REMADYL consortium consists of 15 multidisciplinary partners, including 9 companies, and covers all expertise to maximise project impact.

Tarpaulins are complex composite-like materials, typically composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as reinforcement material and plasticized/soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as coating material. These durable plastics have a wide range of applications going from trailer covers to professional tents and from advertisement banners to biogas membranes. Each year 200 kton of tarpaulins enter the EU market, 65% of this volume , corresponding to ca. 200 Mio m2, being produced in the EU. After their functional lifetime, which ranges from a few months up to 30 years, over 99% of tarpaulins currently end up as landfill or are being incinerated as today’s recycling technologies are insufficient. The target of RETAIN is to contribute to the final ambition of having by 2036 at least 90% of circular tarpaulins use (re-used, remanufactured or recycled). To reach our ambition, we will further develop various recycling technologies (i.e. mechanical, physical, and selective dissolution) and demonstrate circular business practices (advanced collection, monitoring, sorting, repair/reuse/recycling and conversion of post-production and end-of-life tarpaulins) at TRL8 scale at three DEMO locations in the EU. Additionally, we will develop and implement an efficient decision-making mechanism for process and lifecycle optimization such as the RETAIN gate control procedure for post-industrial and end-of-life tarpaulins. Finally, we will implement a digital product passport (DPP) for tarpaulins to ensure traceability, support certification and quality validation, quantify environmental, social, and economic impacts, incorporate learning and training activities, contribute to relevant standards, and connect with other recycling initiatives in the EU and abroad.