Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2020 Winners Announced at PRSE Virtual Event

The winners of the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2020 were announced today (10 December) at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe Virtual Event. This year’s seven award winners are:

Automotive, Electrical or Electronic Product: SENSEO® Eco Coffee Maker by Philips

Building & Construction Product: GreenMatter by GreenMatter

Household & Leisure Product: S’cure ECO Post Consumer Edition by Samsonite Europe NV

Plastic Packaging Product: evian® (re)new in-home water appliance by Danone

Recycled Product Technology Innovation: SealPPeel by Verstraete in mould labels, a Multi-Color Company

Recycling Machinery Innovation: Gel-less film recycling with Mas Technology by Caroda BV and MAS Maschinen-und Anlagenbau Schulz GmbH

Plastics Recycling Ambassador: Professor Kim Ragaert of Ghent University

“This year’s Plastics Recycling Awards Europe finalists show us that recyclability, efficiency, and quality of plastics recycling can go hand in hand, allowing for recycled plastics to be used in a multitude of high-end applications,” said Ton Emans, PRE President and awards judge. “PRAE is a perfect platform to display the fast-paced developments in the plastic recycling industry and demonstrate how plastic products are made more circular.”

“Congratulations to all our award winners. Each of them is a testament to the innovation driving the circular and sustainable use of plastics today.” said Matt Barber, Event Director for the Plastics Recycling Show Europe. “While 2020 has been a very difficult year for everyone, we now look forward to recognising even greater achievements in the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2021.”

The Automotive, Electrical or Electronic Product of the Year award winner, the SENSEO® Eco Coffee Maker by Philips was recognised by the judges as elegantly incorporating impeccable design and sustainable material sourcing while also raising environmental awareness among consumers. All of its visual plastic parts are made from recycled plastic.

GreenMatter, Building & Construction Product award winner, is an innovative solution for what has so far been an unexploited market. It presents a range of sports field products and other outdoor furniture made from recycled artificial grass. The collaboration among the companies involved in this project ensures the effective collection, recycling and uptake of recycled artificial grass materials to make new products.

This year’s Household & Leisure category winner, Samsonite’s S’cure ECO Post Consumer Edition, is the company’s first polypropylene suitcase made from recycled post-consumer household waste. The judges recognised the achievement of taking one of the most common plastic products in the waste stream and turning it into a durable, high-quality product for global travellers.

The Plastics Recycling Ambassador 2020 is Professor Kim Ragaert from Ghent University. She has dedicated her multidisciplinary research group to the improved mechanical recycling of thermoplastics. The judges recognised Kim as having exceptional drive in advancing the circular economy for plastics.

Recycled Product Technology Innovation award winner, SealPPeel by Verstraete in mould labels, is a more sustainable solution for packaging lidding that avoids contamination in a recycling stream and therefore allows more material to be easily separated, recovered and recycled into new products.

The judges described the evian (re)new in-home water appliance by Danone, the Plastics Packaging Product of the Year, as a very innovative concept. It is a much lighter alternative to existing beverage packaging that is also designed to be recycled. It features collapsible 5L ‘bubbles’ made from recycled plastic (rPET) skin which is also recyclable.

This year’s Recycling Machinery Innovation award winner, Gel-less film recycling with Mas Technology by Caroda BV and MAS Maschinen-und Anlagenbau Schulz GmbH, increases the effectiveness and efficiency of the recycling processes for plastic films.

The winners each receive a trophy, with a 3D printed base made from 100% recycled ABS plastic car dashboards and the multi-colour top which is laser cut from compressed HDPE beach clean-up bottle caps.

Judges of the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2020 were Gian de Belder, Technical Director and Packaging Technologist at Procter & Gamble and Plastics Recycling Ambassador 2019; Professor Kim Ragaert of Ghent University; Willemijn Peeters CEO of Searious Business and Plastics Recycling Ambassador 2018; Karen Laird, Editor of Sustainable Plastics; Rune Thoralfsson, Owner and Director of Norfolier GreenTec AS and Ton Emans, President of Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE).

Open to organisations and individuals across Europe who are involved in the recycling of plastic materials, the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe are organised jointly by Plastics Recyclers Europe and Crain Communications, organisers of the Plastics Recycling Show Europe. The Plastics Recycling Awards Europe are sponsored by Tomra Sorting Recycling and EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen GmbH. Platinum Event Sponsors of the Plastics Recycling Show Europe are Fimic SRL and Tomra Sorting Recycling; EREMA is the Gold Event Sponsor.

For details of all winners and finalists at this year’s Plastics Recycling Awards Europe visit: www.prseventeurope.com