rebiocycle
ReBioCycle - A new European blueprint for circular bioplastics upcycling solutions - is a Circular Bio-based Europe (CBE JU) Innovation Action that develops and demonstrates new sorting and recycling solutions to keep bio-based, biodegradable plastics (PLA, PHA and composites) in circulation for as long as possible, instead of treating them as contaminants or waste.
About the project
ReBioCycle responds to a clear bottleneck in the transition away from fossil plastics: even when bio-based and biodegradable alternatives are deployed, today’s waste systems often cannot recognise or recycle them, so they still end up landfilled or incinerated. The project brings together waste-management companies, technology providers, bioplastics producers, converters, brand owners and research organisations to redesign how biodegradable bioplastics are collected, sorted, recycled and brought back into high-quality applications.
At the heart of the project is a portfolio of technologies demonstrated in three “waste-processor-centric” hubs located in the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. Each hub focuses on different combinations of sorting, mechanical, chemical, microbial and enzymatic recycling technologies, brought to relevant technology readiness levels inside real waste-management environments. Together, they cover the three main bioplastic families targeted by the project: PLA, PHA and bioplastic composites.
Alongside the technical work, ReBioCycle applies the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework, performs detailed life-cycle and techno-economic assessments, and analyses market uptake potential. The project is explicitly linked to EU policy priorities such as the Circular Economy Action Plan, the EU Plastics Strategy, the Waste Framework Directive, the Zero-pollution Action Plan and the EU Bioeconomy Strategy.
WHAT AIMS TO ACHIEVE
ReBioCycle aims to demonstrate that biodegradable bioplastics can be treated as valuable resources rather than problematic contaminants. The project’s goal is to show, with real data, that PLA, PHA and biocomposites can be effectively separated from mixed plastic streams, recycled with a suite of technologies and upgraded into secondary materials that match or even exceed the performance of virgin grades.
To achieve this, ReBioCycle develops and upscales sorting and recycling routes that are compatible with existing waste-management operations, and then integrates them into working plants at demonstrator scale. The hubs test how different technologies perform under real operating conditions, and how they can be combined to maximise recovery and maintain material quality, including food-grade where possible. The recycled materials are validated together with brand owners and converted into real product demonstrators, such as durable, multi-use packaging.
MAGFI’S CONTRIBUTION
In ReBioCycle, Magfi is responsible for the exploitation activities (thus the project “business development” function). Our role is to ensure that the project’s technical and assessment work is translated into a clear set of Key Exploitable Results and realistic pathways for their uptake by industry and other stakeholders. This starts with a structured mapping of the technologies, tools and knowledge generated in each hub and work package, and continues with an analysis of who can benefit from them, under what conditions and with which value propositions.
Magfi develops and maintains the project’s exploitation strategy, working closely with technology owners, waste-management partners, bioplastic producers and brand owners. This involves defining exploitation scenarios for sorting and recycling technologies, recycled material grades, demonstrator products, SSbD recommendations and policy-relevant outputs. For each of these, we look at potential business models and next-step funding or investment needs, in line with CBE JU expectations.
Throughout the project, Magfi facilitates internal discussions, supports partners in prioritising the most promising results and prepares the documentation needed for post-project uptake, such as result factsheets and input to cluster activities with other CBE JU projects. The overall objective is to make sure that ReBioCycle does not stop at successful demonstrations, but leaves behind a concrete, actionable package of technologies and know-how that can be scaled and replicated across Europe’s bioplastics value chains.
For more information on this project, please visit the website: rebiocycle.eu
ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND DISCLAIMER
The project is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members. Project Grant Agreement (GA) number 101156032.
DISCLAIMER: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.