Fraunhofer CCPE Demonstrates Circular Solutions for Recycled and Biodegradable Plastics

© Fraunhofer LBF/Raapke
The Fraunhofer institutes attach particular importance to the practical relevance of their new developments. This example shows the use of geosynthetics in riverbank stabilization.

(IN BRIEF) Researchers from the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE are developing new recycling and materials technologies within the Zirk-Tex project to convert previously unused plastic waste streams into high-quality fibers, films, and geosynthetics. Using solvent-based recycling, chemical recycling, and controlled additivation, the team successfully produced purified PP and PET recyclates suitable for demanding textile applications such as roof underlayments. In parallel, the project demonstrated biodegradable fibers made from PLA and PBS with adjustable degradation behavior for temporary geotextiles. Life cycle assessments confirm environmental benefits compared with virgin plastics, highlighting the project’s contribution to advancing a circular plastics economy.

(PRESS RELEASE) MUNICH, 6-Jan-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE is advancing new recycling and materials technologies aimed at transforming previously unused plastic waste streams into high-quality fibers, films, and technical textiles. Within the Zirk-Tex research project, scientists are developing innovative alternatives to conventional mechanical recycling, focusing on sustainable roof underlayments and geosynthetics produced at pilot scale while assessing the entire value chain.

The project addresses a key challenge in the plastics economy: although demand for recycled polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is rising, many recyclates still lack the purity and consistency required for demanding applications. Contaminants often limit processing stability, preventing recycled materials from competing with virgin plastics. By combining expertise from six Fraunhofer institutes, the CCPE cluster aims to overcome these barriers and enable the use of recyclates in high-performance textile products such as nonwovens, fibers, films, and membranes.

© Fraunhofer IVV
Fibers and films made from recycled polypropylene from packaging waste

Within Zirk-Tex, researchers are investigating whether plastic waste streams that have so far been unused can be recycled into materials suitable for roof underlayments, a market that installs several hundred million square meters of membranes across Europe each year. At the same time, the project explores bio-based alternatives, focusing on fibers made from polylactide (PLA) and polybutylene succinate (PBS) that allow controlled biodegradability for temporary geotextile applications, such as slope stabilization, riverbank protection, and temporary access roads on construction sites.

A key aspect of the work involves rethinking the entire value chain, from waste sorting and recycling technologies to compounding, spinning, and final application. Advanced recycling routes were evaluated, including solvent-based recycling for PP and PET, chemical recycling of PET via glycolysis followed by repolymerization, and pyrolysis of residual fractions. These approaches enabled the production of highly purified recyclates, significantly reducing unwanted polymers and improving processing stability for filament spinning and textile manufacturing.

The research team demonstrated that solvent-based recycling can recover nearly uncontaminated PP from complex waste streams, while PET glycolysis yielded high-quality monomers that could be repolymerized and processed into multifilament yarns. Fibers and films produced from both PP and PET recyclates were successfully converted into nonwovens and membranes, meeting the stringent requirements of textile processing. Life cycle assessments and material flow analyses showed that the developed value chains offer a better climate footprint than the use of virgin plastics, while also highlighting the need for improved logistics and sorting infrastructure to unlock sufficient material volumes.

© Fraunhofer IAP
Multifilament yarns made from recycled PET

In parallel, the project’s second use case focused on biodegradable geotextiles made from PLA and PBS. Through tailored additive formulations, the researchers were able to precisely control the onset and progression of material degradation, ensuring stability during use followed by accelerated breakdown in the environment. Ecotoxicity tests indicated no harmful effects, supporting the potential for real-world deployment of biodegradable geotextiles in landscaping and civil engineering applications.

Overall, the Zirk-Tex project demonstrates that unused plastic waste streams and bio-based polymers can be transformed into high-quality, application-ready materials. By combining innovative recycling processes with system-level analysis, Fraunhofer CCPE is contributing concrete solutions toward a circular plastics economy that reduces fossil resource use, extends product lifetimes, and supports climate-friendly material cycles.

Project partner roles:

• Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT (investigation of degradation processes for the biopolymers, pyrolysis of residual fractions from the recycling processes used)
• Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP (polymerization of rPET from BHET, implementation of spinning processes)
• Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT (chemical recycling, depolymerization of PET to BHET from recycled material streams)
• Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF (project coordination, development of additive packages for recyclates and biopolymers, compounding)
• Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML (selection of suitable feedstock sources)
• Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV (development and implementation of solvent-based recycling)
• Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME (ecotoxicological assessment)
• Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB (machine-learning-based sorting of PET from textiles)

Fraunhofer CCPE: towards a circular plastics economy

There has to be a fundamental change in the way plastics are handled. The transition to a circular plastics economy is no longer optional, and it involves reduced extraction of fossil resources and longer product lifetimes as core goals. This is the starting point for the Fraunhofer CCPE cluster: Six Fraunhofer institutes are conducting research into how products can be designed in a circular way and how plastic waste can be transformed into valuable resources. The cluster is made up of the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP, the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT, the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF, the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML and the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV.

Media contact:

Anke Zeidler-Finsel
Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF
Bartningstraße 47
64289 Darmstadt
Phone +49 6151 705-268
anke-zeidler-finsel@lbf.fraunhofer.de

Kristiane von Imhoff M.A.
Marketing
Phone +49 208 8598-1443
kristiane.von-imhoff@umsicht.fraunhofer.de

Dr. Sandra Mehlhase
Head of Department (acting) | Communication
Fraunhofer IAP
Geiselbergstraße 69
14476 Potsdam
Phone +49 331 568-1151
presse-kontakt@iap.fraunhofer.de

SOURCE: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft