- Date 2024-11-11
Following five years of intense research, the Circular Flooring consortium has proven that it is possible to produce plasticiser-free PVC recyclates from end-of-life flexible floor coverings. The solvent-based recycling process, which is operated with CreaSolv® formulations jointly developed by Fraunhofer IVV and CreaCycle, can efficiently remove critical legacy plasticisers from waste PVC flooring. The recovered PVC complies with EU REACH legislation and can therefore be used to produce new PVC flooring. The project thus supports the EU objective of establishing a European circular economy. In addition, the consortium has demonstrated the technical feasibility of the process on a pilot scale, paving the way for scaling up to commercial dimensions. The Fraunhofer Institute for Processing Engineering and Packaging IVV in Freising, Germany, carried out the project together with ten companies and research facilities from five European countries. The European Union provided Circular Flooring with funding of around €5.4 million from its Horizon 2020 programme.
Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Processing Engineering and Packaging IVV, Press release, July 18, 2024 https://www.ivv.fraunhofer.de/en/press/circular-flooring.html
Further information:
- EU-Projekt Circular Flooring https://www.circular-flooring.eu/
- Second Circular Flooring Project Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZSflXQCtLs