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Home > News > Recycling

Erlenbach: The quality of the recyclate is crucial

Source：Adsale Plastics Network Date ：2025-05-20 Editor ：RC
Copyright： This article was originally written/edited by Adsale Plastics Network (AdsaleCPRJ.com), republishing and excerpting are not allowed without permission. For any copyright infringement, we will pursue legal liability in accordance with the law.

In this VDMA interview on the way to K 2025, Thorsten Jacoby, Managing Director of Erlenbach GmbH, part of the hetech group, discussed the importance of recycling in plastics industry.


Erlenbach_Managing Director Thorsten Jacoby.jpg


Thorsten Jacoby, Managing Director of Erlenbach GmbH.

 

Mr. Jacoby, how does Erlenbach contribute towards resource conservation and sustainability?

 

Jacoby: Firstly, by continuously increasing efficiency to minimize energy consumption in the processing of particle foams. The use of these energy-efficient technologies also reduces the CO2 footprint of the products manufactured on these systems. In addition, EPS and EPP, for example, are highly recyclable. If the material is unmixed and only slightly contaminated, a recycling rate of almost 100% is possible. Finally, bio-based particle foams can also be produced using systems from the hetech group, of which Erlenbach is a part. Because the material is renewable, the CO2 footprint is even smaller in this respect.

 

What requirements are necessary to achieve high recyclate quality?

 

Jacoby: The quality depends to a large extent on the purity of the variety on the one hand, and the recycling process on the other; there are already many technical possibilities available. The upstream processes of sorting and cleaning are also quite mature. In any case, it is important to handle raw materials carefully when using them, for example: plastic waste is already being collected on construction sites, but rubbish bags contain insulation boards made of EPS, some of which are heavily contaminated. Additional sorting equipment is then required to separate the materials. 


However, it would be much better if the contaminants were not present within the boards in the first place. Product handling is the decisive factor, and these would then have to be designed in such a way that printed material or adhesives, for example, can be removed very easily. People are not yet very aware of the need to do things properly when collecting. By contrast, EPS packaging for example can be very easily recycled in a single-sort collection.

 

Where are we on the road to a circular economy for plastics?

 

Jacoby: Much is already possible in terms of plant technology, but there is still room for further optimization. There are many efforts in the market to better organize and structure collection processes. Processors are often aware of the importance of recycling, but implementation also depends on the customers, some of whom still specify virgin material.

 

What can you do in this situation?

 

Jacoby: It is important to raise awareness that a recycled product can fulfil the same requirements as one made from virgin material if it is of the same quality. The quality of the recycled material is crucial. One way of guaranteeing this quality would be to have uniform standards for recyclates. Processors would then always know exactly what material they order and receive. This would increase the acceptance of recyclate, and products made from recyclate, and this would also increase their use.

 

Is the plastics industry still struggling with its image?

 

Jacoby: It is impossible to imagine our modern world without plastic. The question is how to deal with plastics that are recyclable, and to what extent they should be recycled. There are many good approaches in the actual process, but also in higher-level processes. For example, we can already produce an rEPS from an EPS and process it in the same process. One major challenge is collecting the material so that it can be used again in the same processing method.

 

What role does chemical recycling play?

 

Jacoby: All available possibilities of the circular economy are required in order to close all loops and produce high-quality raw materials. This also includes chemical recycling for those fractions that are not suitable for lower-threshold recycling, for example mechanical recycling. This allows the original raw materials to be recovered. In principle, the original monomer is turned back into PS and EPS. However, chemical recycling is a very complex process with correspondingly high costs.

 


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Source：Adsale Plastics Network Date ：2025-05-20 Editor ：RC
Copyright： This article was originally written/edited by Adsale Plastics Network (AdsaleCPRJ.com), republishing and excerpting are not allowed without permission. For any copyright infringement, we will pursue legal liability in accordance with the law.

In this VDMA interview on the way to K 2025, Thorsten Jacoby, Managing Director of Erlenbach GmbH, part of the hetech group, discussed the importance of recycling in plastics industry.


Erlenbach_Managing Director Thorsten Jacoby.jpg


Thorsten Jacoby, Managing Director of Erlenbach GmbH.

 

Mr. Jacoby, how does Erlenbach contribute towards resource conservation and sustainability?

 

Jacoby: Firstly, by continuously increasing efficiency to minimize energy consumption in the processing of particle foams. The use of these energy-efficient technologies also reduces the CO2 footprint of the products manufactured on these systems. In addition, EPS and EPP, for example, are highly recyclable. If the material is unmixed and only slightly contaminated, a recycling rate of almost 100% is possible. Finally, bio-based particle foams can also be produced using systems from the hetech group, of which Erlenbach is a part. Because the material is renewable, the CO2 footprint is even smaller in this respect.

 

What requirements are necessary to achieve high recyclate quality?

 

Jacoby: The quality depends to a large extent on the purity of the variety on the one hand, and the recycling process on the other; there are already many technical possibilities available. The upstream processes of sorting and cleaning are also quite mature. In any case, it is important to handle raw materials carefully when using them, for example: plastic waste is already being collected on construction sites, but rubbish bags contain insulation boards made of EPS, some of which are heavily contaminated. Additional sorting equipment is then required to separate the materials. 


However, it would be much better if the contaminants were not present within the boards in the first place. Product handling is the decisive factor, and these would then have to be designed in such a way that printed material or adhesives, for example, can be removed very easily. People are not yet very aware of the need to do things properly when collecting. By contrast, EPS packaging for example can be very easily recycled in a single-sort collection.

 

Where are we on the road to a circular economy for plastics?

 

Jacoby: Much is already possible in terms of plant technology, but there is still room for further optimization. There are many efforts in the market to better organize and structure collection processes. Processors are often aware of the importance of recycling, but implementation also depends on the customers, some of whom still specify virgin material.

 

What can you do in this situation?

 

Jacoby: It is important to raise awareness that a recycled product can fulfil the same requirements as one made from virgin material if it is of the same quality. The quality of the recycled material is crucial. One way of guaranteeing this quality would be to have uniform standards for recyclates. Processors would then always know exactly what material they order and receive. This would increase the acceptance of recyclate, and products made from recyclate, and this would also increase their use.

 

Is the plastics industry still struggling with its image?

 

Jacoby: It is impossible to imagine our modern world without plastic. The question is how to deal with plastics that are recyclable, and to what extent they should be recycled. There are many good approaches in the actual process, but also in higher-level processes. For example, we can already produce an rEPS from an EPS and process it in the same process. One major challenge is collecting the material so that it can be used again in the same processing method.

 

What role does chemical recycling play?

 

Jacoby: All available possibilities of the circular economy are required in order to close all loops and produce high-quality raw materials. This also includes chemical recycling for those fractions that are not suitable for lower-threshold recycling, for example mechanical recycling. This allows the original raw materials to be recovered. In principle, the original monomer is turned back into PS and EPS. However, chemical recycling is a very complex process with correspondingly high costs.

 


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Erlenbach: The quality of the recyclate is crucial

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