POLYPROBLEM report: The Circularity Code

Is it still possible to save the planet? At those times when we start doubting the pace of socio-ecological progress, we often turn our anxious but hopeful eyes to technological innovations. This is no different in the fight against plastic waste than it is in the quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Experts agree that we need both; a sustainable shift that changes our way of life on the one hand, and technological solutions on the other. Ideally, social, economic and technological innovations should go hand in hand. However, there’s no room for science fiction in this scenario if we don’t want the dream of yet-to-be-invented miracle weapons against ecological and social crises to paralyze our daily actions in the present. The POLYPROBLEM editorial team has taken a very pragmatic look at what digitalization can do today to make our use of plastics more sustainable. This may sound like a no-brainer, but the more complex a system is, the more elaborate the processes are, the greater the opportunities are for digitalizing a system’s sustainable design and use. The plastics value chain is extremely complex. As are the materials used within it. Will the digital revolution accelerate the necessary changes when it comes to resources? And if so, how will this work in practice? The needs and opportunities for using digital technologies and methods along the plastics value chain are diverse. Digital twins support product developers in designing sustainable plastic products. Huge databases help in assessing the overall ecological footprint of packaging material. Innovative data services can create a digital product passport based on production data gathered from different companies. Artificial intelligence not only optimizes material consumption in production but will soon also improve recycling processes. Apps will help consumers make conscious purchasing decisions. Waste collection and sorting managed by so-called waste workers in developing countries could be done more efficiently even as early as today. Although we cannot claim our insights to be exhaustive, we’ve explored digital opportunities for the sustainable use of plastics by talking to experts and endeavored to combine them into a comprehensive overview. As a fair warning to the reader, we have not yet found the miracle device that will save us all, but one insight has emerged repeatedly: It is not a lack of technology nor immature technology that is the hurdle. It is the willingness to use it cooperatively that matters most. And that, in turn, is a fairly analogous problem. 3 Publisher The Röchling Foundation Richard-Wagner-Straße 9 68165 Mannheim Germany +49 621 4402 232 info@roechling-stiftung.de www.roechling-stiftung.de December 2023 www.polyproblem.org Wider Sense GmbH Pfalzburger Str. 43-44 10717 Berlin Germany +49 30 24088 240 info@widersense.org www.widersense.org Editing & Text: Anne Marie Jacob, Elena Hadick, Lisa Nerb (Wider Sense),Uwe Amrhein (The Röchling Foundation) Graphic Design: ds.DTP – Detlef Scholz Translation: Dr. Janina Gatzky, Leanne Cvetan Kleiner Steinklump 5 | 39218 Schönebeck Photos: Adobe Stock, SKZ – Das Kunststoffzentrum, Polysecure, Raan Gruppe, Mehrwegallianz – Anita Back, Ampliphi, Circular Action B.V. IT’S NOT SCIENCE-FICTION

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