The Upcycle project, funded by Horizon Europe through the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA), has launched with a two-day kick-off in Gent, Belgium. Coordinated by Aalborg University in Denmark, the initiative connects 19 partners across 12 countries to demonstrate circular value chains that convert currently non-recyclable plastic waste into highly recyclable and non-persistent packaging materials. The effort responds to structural gaps in plastics management. Worldwide plastics production exceeds 460 million tonnes per year, yet only 9 percent is effectively recycled. In Europe, packaging represents about 40 percent of plastics demand and 60 percent of the plastic waste stream, with most items used once and two thirds discarded within a year, often composed of complex or contaminated materials that can persist in the environment for centuries. Upcycle aims to replace these linear flows with safe, scalable routes to recyclable packaging and credible end-of-life options, reducing dependence on landfill and incineration and supporting EU circular economy objectives.
Scope and technological approach
Building on the H2020 Uplift project, Upcycle advances to demonstration scale while integrating Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design principles, AI-powered process intensification, smart polymerisation strategies and eco-design. Target applications include fresh food flexible packaging, short-lifetime deli packaging, beverage bottles and personal care packaging, all categories where recyclability and end-of-life performance are critical. The project seeks to establish value chains that start from non-recyclable plastic streams and deliver materials designed for high recyclability or biodegradation where appropriate.
Aimplas activities
Aimplas, the Plastics Technology Centre, plays a central role by bridging polymer research and packaging application requirements. The centre is developing new polyesters and copolyesters, including PEF, PBAF and PLA blends, through tailored formulations and pilot-scale production. The technology toolbox covers reactive extrusion, compounding, injection moulding and blow moulding. Aimplas also leads the assessment of end-of-life behaviour, conducting biodegradation modelling, compostability testing in industrial and home conditions, and environmental evaluations in soil, freshwater and marine settings, complemented by multi-cycle mechanical recycling trials. In addition, Aimplas contributes to defining end-user requirements, market analysis and regulatory compliance to help ensure materials are safe, scalable and ready for market deployment.
Consortium and expected outcomes
The consortium unites expertise along the plastics value chain, from waste collection and depolymerisation to polymer design, formulation, demonstration and market uptake. Partners include Aalborg University, DTU, RWTH Aachen University, University College Dublin, Lund University, BOKU, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Leibniz Institute - Hans Knoll Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Aimplas, Bioplastech, Tecnaro, Bio-Mi, Evyap, Eroski, Pack4Food, Aeimis, Eco Imagination and Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant. By 2029, Upcycle aims to deliver packaging materials that are highly recyclable and non-persistent, and biodegradable where appropriate, with a targeted 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to current bioplastics. The outcomes are intended to support EU strategies on plastics, the Single-Use Plastics Directive and the Circular Economy Action Plan.
