Kim Roovers
Lars Van Driel
Marloes Brouwers
Vincent Laseur
Maastricht University
Jolien Huybrechts
Keep this story going! Share below!
Plastic & Product Recycling BV is a waste processing company that assists businesses in finding the most suitable processing methods for their waste streams, products, and materials. PP-Recycling specializes in the pre-sorting and separation of plastics and have the capability to fully process plastic into recycled grain, which can in a later process be reused to manufacture new products. The companies’ extensive expertise enables the creation of a fully circular supply chain by development of new products consisting of recycled grain.
Situated in Swalmen, the Netherlands, PP-Recycling has made it their mission to turn plastic waste into a resource for a more sustainable world. To further discover this mission and define the ultimate objectives, an interview with Roul Schroijen, the founder, was conducted. In this interview Roul mentioned the following: “the responsibility for waste should be placed with the product’s producer, not with its users or waste processors”. Determined to close the loop on plastic use, PP-Recycling focuses on transforming plastic waste into new, circular products. The companies first circular product, a bed riser made entirely of recycled plastics, has already achieved a 35.000-unit production run and was distributed to a national healthcare enterprise. This production run together with the already executed distribution of the bed risers justifies the demand and scalability of non-waste recycled products.
The circular products of PP-Recycling contribute to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The first SDG PP-Recycling contributes to is number 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. PP-Recycling has the unique capability of transforming products often considered as waste into a valuable resource for the production of new products. This expertise promotes resource efficiency and reduces the reliance on virgin plastics (newly produced traditional plastic). Additionally, this circular product design sets a modern standard for sustainable product manufacturing, contributing to SDG 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure.
PP-Recycling’s impact is not only limited to the production process, it is already initiated in the collection of raw materials. By diverting plastic waste from land- and waterways, PP-Recycling’s operations support SDG 14: Life Below Water and SDG 15: Life on Land. A valuable contribution is made to the protection of global ecosystems and limitation of the devastating effects of plastic pollution. Additionally, the companies’ continuous growth fosters green job creation, independently contribution to SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Analyzing all initiatives taken, PP-Recycling collectively contributes to SDG 13: Climate Action. Overall, PP-Recycling’s diverse contribution to various SDGs indicates the companies’ vision of working towards a responsible, circular, and low-impact future.
Plastic waste, reimagined: this is how circular innovation begins
A common theme explored during the interview was the founder’s deep inspiration for opportunities in the waste industry. Having prior experience in the recycling industry, both founders felt that there still was huge unexplored potential. The quote expressed by Roul stating that “there’s a lot of waste, for which a smart solution has to be found”, illustrates the passion and determination regarding the journey leading to PP-Recycling’s innovation. This passion is displayed implicitly by the fact that the company and its team include itself in all possible dimensions of waste and the corresponding potential. Additionally, the constant persistence and ambition to innovate and acquire better ecological results show PP-Recycling’s true colors.
In the current market, recycled circular products is yet more expensive than using traditional virgin materials. This naturally causes companies to use virgin materials more frequently than recycled materials. It is PP-Recycling’s vision to tackle this trend by developing recycled products in the headquarters in Swalmen. At a later stage, the products are manufactured with a sustainable local partner. This supply chain not only limits production costs but also contributes to local job creation. The importance of the production of these circular products is the limitation of waste at both the creation and disposal side of the supply chain. Roul expressed his concerns by stating that “A lot of companies have limited knowledge of the possibilities of products in the end of life-phase”. This reflects the earlier statement that PP-Recycling has the unique skill of transforming materials others treat as waste into a valuable resource.
A critical question asked during the interview revolved around the measurability of the impact of PP-Recycling’s operations. It is a widely acknowledged phenomenon that tracking goals improves transparency and performance, two vital elements in sustainable entrepreneurship. Despite Roul supporting this statement, an actual set of key performance indicators (KPI’s) remains lacking within the company. Where this lack of KPI’s limits the ability to create yearly sustainability reports, PP-Recycling does actively publish recent developments on their publicly available website. Recent publications include CSR developments, their road towards a circular supply chain, and their dedication towards eliminating CO2-emissions in their operations.
Roul contextualized the impact of PP-Recycling’s business operations in two main categories, both being physically visible. The first category entails the business process within the companies’ facility. In order to manufacture the later explained products, PP-Recycling purchases large quantities of recyclable materials. The magnitude of these deliveries is substantial and requires large storage facilities. After processing, these materials have taken on a completely new form and shape and are nearly impossible to be linked to the starting point. This process proves that PP-Recycling is capable of transforming waste, often categorized as filthy, into a practical new product.
Despite clear impact within PP-Recycling, this process of reshaping will often go unnoticed by external parties. The second category Roul touched upon in the interview primarily focuses on this gap. By investing in the development of products constructed out of waste, external parties (customers, customers of customers, etc.) are provided with more sustainable options for their current products. This not only limits the usage of traditional polluting products, but it also provides parties further down the value chain to operate in a more sustainable manner. Growth aspirations supporting this development include offshore solar panel platforms and bed-accessories in the healthcare industry, as expressed by Roul.
The earlier stated strategic move of developing and producing products from recycled plastics has impacted PP-Recycling’s business model. Where the company initially operated as an intermediate enterprise processing raw materials into a reusable sustainable grain, it now develops and produces products itself. This innovative strategy opened new revenue streams, shielded the company from volatile markets, built stronger B2B partnerships, and supported the development of new skills for the complete team.
Traditionally, PP-Recycling’s revenue model relied on the sale of processed recycled plastic. However, this became an unstable market. “The current market situation is such that prime plastics are cheaper than recycled plastics. That presents a challenge, because everything we have in stock is more expensive than the available prime plastics. We therefore need to find smarter ways to sell or market our raw materials”, Roul stated in the interview. This ultimately led to a turning point for the business. Instead of only focusing on selling recycled plastic by the ton, PP-Recycling began developing their own recycled products, allowing them to shift from commodity pricing to value-added product pricing.
This product-driven strategy allows PP-Recycling to collaborate with new partnerships and extend their market reach. A key example is their partnership with Medicura, a major healthcare distributor, who is now including PP-Recycling’s bed risers in its product assortment. “We are now working with one wholesaler, but we want to serve the top five in the Netherlands”, Roul stated. With the growing product range, the company is able to expand into new markets and seek more co-creation opportunities in the future. “We want to grow the product range and volumes and collaborate with other companies look at product development and innovations together”, Roul expressed.
Beyond the financial benefits for PP-Recycling, the product innovation strategy has also significantly impacted internal development. By focusing on product innovation, employees have acquired highly specialized skills in material recognition and sorting. “Our team now includes seven staff members who have learned from us and by doing it”, Roul stated. These capabilities, which are acquired through hands-on training and years of experience, contribute to high employee retention and a strong internal knowledge base.
It has already explicitly been stated that PP-Recycling contributes to various SDGs, both on a social and environmental level. Other than the evident recycling process of the products, the company creates additional value through obstructing the production process of new plastics. In basic analogy, the lifecycle of plastic creates emissions both at the birth and at the deconstruction. Where the recycling of plastic limits the emissions and the end of the life cycle, the fact that these recycled plastics are available for resale also limits the emissions at the start of the life cycle. This due to the basic practice of economy, being that fact that there is a subsidiary product available for the traditional non-sustainable plastics. This contribution is however still limited in the current market due to the regulations previously expressed by Roul.
In addition to the sustainable impact, PP-Recycling also creates social value. “We have to innovate, not only for me, the company and the environment, but also for the team of seven people working alongside the company’s vision every day”, as Roul stated in the interview. By creating an enterprise and investing in the wellbeing of the operations, Roul creates a safe working environment for his six employees. Despite being an individual added value, this again is intertwined with the collective goal of creating sustainable products. Where the employees are provided with financial returns, they individually contribute to the clear vision of PP-Recycling, being the revolution of the recycling industry.
Get stories of positive business innovations from around the world delivered right to your inbox.
PP-Recycling is a Dutch company dedicated to transforming plastic waste into reusable (raw) materials. By collecting and processing various types of industrial plastic, they help reduce environmental impact while supporting the circular economy. Their recycling techniques and focus on sustainability make them a key player in closing the loop on plastic use.
