David McKinnon

Plastic recycling in the Nordics: A value chain market analysis

There is low utilisation of plastic waste in the Nordic region and only a fraction of plastic materials go back into production processes through reuse and recycling practices. This paper aims to increase knowledge concerning factors that inhibit demand for recycled plastics, and to identify critical barriers for plastic recycling across the regional plastics value chain. A literature review and targeted interviews with key actors across the plastics value chain enabled the mapping of interactions between the major actors and identified hotspots that act as barriers to the flow of plastic materials. Barriers identified include the lack of both supply and demand of recycled plastic and are mainly attributed to the fragmented market of secondary materials. The main hotspots identified are the low demand due to price considerations, insufficient traceability and transparency in value chain transactions, and general design deficiencies in the recyclability of products. Value chain coordination is considered as the most important intervention by the interviewees, followed by the need for increased investment in innovation and technology development. Complementary measures that could counteract the identified barriers include public procurement for resource efficiency, ban on the incineration of recyclable materials, and specifications on the design of plastic products for reducing the number of different polymers, and the number and usage of additives.

Plastic Waste Markets : Overcoming barriers to better resource utilisation

This project examines the market for recycled plastic, with a primary focus on post-consumer plastic waste because this is considered to be the more problematic. The market for plastic waste genera ...

Policy Brief – Plastic Waste Markets : Overcoming barriers to better resource utilisation

This policy brief outlines the main findings from the project Plastic Waste Markets: Overcoming barriers to better resource utilisation. The aim of the project is to provide an overview of the key ...

Barriers for utilisation of biowaste

There is an increased focus on ensuring optimal use of the resources of the planet. However experience shows that legislation can hinder the use of the resources from waste. This report examines th ...