TY - CONF

T1 - Benchmark Analysis for Plastic Recyclates in Austrian Waste Management

AU - Friedrich, Karl

AU - Holzschuster, Stephan

AU - Höllen, Daniel

PY - 2019/9/30

Y1 - 2019/9/30

N2 - The circular economy package of the EU, especially the amendment of the Waste Framework Directive, sets a new goal for the use of different types of recyclates. One of the most significant findings of this strategy is that recyclates are currently insufficiently integrated into new products. Therefore, the European Commission intends to focus on the use of secondary plastics to meet the objectives. Currently, the image of those secondary raw materials is tarnished. Corresponding primary materials can assure reliable qualities with respect to stable physical and chemical properties. Besides, the production of recyclates is often even more expensive then the production of primary materials. Processors and recyclers provide a variety of specification sheets with detailed information. These sheets reveal the demand for secondary raw materials. Still, quality inspection is often executed by checking a few technical parameters only. Recyclates are evidently priced based on the price of primary material. Pricing also correlates with different quality parameters, however, such as degree of mixing, degree of degradation and presence of impurities. This paper examines the correlation between different quality features and how they affect the pricing policy for recyclates. Experts from the Austrian processing and recycling business were interviewed about the most important parameters of their quality inspection and how these would affect prices. Detailed answers were obtained using an interview guide. The information acquired was used to set up a full picture of the different quality parameters. Additionally, quality parameters for the input and output material are included in this paper. Its main objective is to examine the effect of different quality parameters on pricing. Experts from the plastic processing industry confirmed that there is a profound correlation between price and quality: The higher the quality of the material, the lower the reject, and the purer the material, the more applications are available.

AB - The circular economy package of the EU, especially the amendment of the Waste Framework Directive, sets a new goal for the use of different types of recyclates. One of the most significant findings of this strategy is that recyclates are currently insufficiently integrated into new products. Therefore, the European Commission intends to focus on the use of secondary plastics to meet the objectives. Currently, the image of those secondary raw materials is tarnished. Corresponding primary materials can assure reliable qualities with respect to stable physical and chemical properties. Besides, the production of recyclates is often even more expensive then the production of primary materials. Processors and recyclers provide a variety of specification sheets with detailed information. These sheets reveal the demand for secondary raw materials. Still, quality inspection is often executed by checking a few technical parameters only. Recyclates are evidently priced based on the price of primary material. Pricing also correlates with different quality parameters, however, such as degree of mixing, degree of degradation and presence of impurities. This paper examines the correlation between different quality features and how they affect the pricing policy for recyclates. Experts from the Austrian processing and recycling business were interviewed about the most important parameters of their quality inspection and how these would affect prices. Detailed answers were obtained using an interview guide. The information acquired was used to set up a full picture of the different quality parameters. Additionally, quality parameters for the input and output material are included in this paper. Its main objective is to examine the effect of different quality parameters on pricing. Experts from the plastic processing industry confirmed that there is a profound correlation between price and quality: The higher the quality of the material, the lower the reject, and the purer the material, the more applications are available.

M3 - Paper

T2 - Sardinia 2019

Y2 - 30 September 2019 through 4 October 2019

ER -