For the last decades, recycling has been on the agenda of many governments worldwide. However, results have been sluggish, especially in the last few years. Even NGOs have been sending out alarms, especially regarding the level of pollution. Only 9% of materials have been successfully recycled, according to a new OECD report.  

In this scenario, it is becoming increasingly important for global businesses to address their circularity strategies and develop new technologies to improve the environment, reduce waste, and boost their profitability. 

Despite the evident political pressure on recycling targets in the industrial markets, especially in Europe, the main challenges revolve around the following aspects: 

• Ambitious and politically driven industry 

• Performance measured by recycling rates for recyclers only 

• Insufficient measurement parameters by recycled material application for producers (e.g. packaging materials) 

• Upcoming European regulations in 2027, no stringent regulations for other countries on the horizon 

• Technological innovation is required to achieve goals, but a lack of investments 

• Uncertainty in the Technological Readiness Level (TRL) of existing processes  

• Engineering knowledge gaps cause unnecessary costs during the design and development of the recycling processes 

• Uncertainty around the kind and nature of information required for which authority 

Our teams specialize in process engineering and the design of recycling plants and can help tackle the challenges above by using state-of-the-art concepts and established standards, alongside their innovative ideas. 

• Bring focus on the development of the client’s technique and process to pilot scale. Make clear where flexibility is key or where robustness is key.  

• Formulate the goal of the pilot plant and design it to achieve exactly that. 

• Link the goals of the plants to the political landscape to be able to tap into additional funds (NWO, IMEC for example)  

• TRL assessments for clients and investors to ensure a good link with the right funding schemes 

• Provide the best solution to move from the pilot stage to the full scale, by considering value engineering and best principles of design since the early stages. 

Combining our EPCM services with personal hands-on experience in the scaling of technology in the Recycling & Circular economy market enables us to fast-track this process for clients. Our in-depth knowledge relevant to European regulations and directives (Waste Framework Directive, REACH, RoHS, PPWR) can answer difficult questions quickly. Setting up QC protocols for product testing within the recycling domain for product purity, tensile, impact, and hardness properties.  

Our team has accumulated vast experience in a variety of operational and process engineering roles in both start-up and industrial-scale recycling facilities in The Netherlands. The main focus of the majority of the project is process optimization, product quality, compliance, and redesigning existing processes to get better market compatibility.   

IntES has been supporting various projects of our clients by providing our engineering expertise and project management capabilities for recycling facilities or pilot plants. Having experienced a wide range of projects, our team of experts understands the keys to developing a recycling plant and techniques to design facilities effectively and efficiently within the project budget. Along with technical knowledge, our client-centric and flexible approach is one of our strengths in tackling multiple-scale projects.  

Get in touch with us today to find out more about our specialist expertise and experience in this area and to discuss your requirements.