POM Limburg sets up plastics community
Resource efficiency top of the agenda
The Limburg plastics community, set up by POM Limburg, regularly comes together. Resource efficiency is top of the agenda The goal? To take the plastics industry to a higher, but above all more sustainable level, together.
The plastics industry is well established in Limburg, with 84 companies and 4,300 jobs. On top of this are 18 companies active in plastics recycling. The nearby regions, including the Antwerp Kempen, Eindhoven and Aachen, are also strong industrial areas.
Plastics community
Today we use 350 million tons of plastics, and that number will only continue to grow in the future. This results in major challenges, including plastic waste and the use of fossil resources and CO2 emissions. To bring the various stakeholders in the plastics industry closer together, POM Limburg has set up a new platform, the ‘plastics community’. Producers, processors, waste collectors, recycling companies and knowledge institutions all take part. The aim is to stimulate cooperation between the actors, in order to accelerate innovation within the plastics industry. By focusing more on recycling, the new community can also leverage the transition to more sustainable industry.
Resource efficiency
Due to the global shortage of raw materials, prices are skyrocketing. During the corona pandemic, resources were in short supply, and we are now paying the price for that – literally. Resource efficiency was therefore high on the agenda at the second meeting of the plastics community. Frederic Boonen kicked off the proceedings meeting. The designer from Boonen Design Studio stressed the importance of product design in the circular economy. After that, Stephen van der Steen from the Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid discussed optimising plastic processes. POM Limburg colleague Jorg Roosen concluded the meeting. He highlighted various POM projects for the community, including ‘From Waste 2 Profit’. He also referred to the various subsidy channels currently available to companies.