CIRCULARITY

Polycarbonate: a plastic material
for the circular economy
Polycarbonate is a very robust and durable engineering plastic that istransparent, lightweight and heat resistant. This combination of characteristics
makes it a plastic of choice for applications that are meant to last 10+ years indemanding conditions, such as in buildings or transport, including in e-mobility
batteries. In modern electronic devices polycarbonate enables longer life spans
and allows repairability.
Polycarbonate is a great material for mechanical recycling as repeated heatingand cooling during recycling processes have negligible effects on its properties.
Other recycling technologies such as dissolution and chemolysis can also beused. With these recycling approaches, it is possible to recycle successfully
polymers back into polymers as well as polymers back into monomers.

Recycling technologies
for polycarbonate
Fossil resources

MechanicalRe-melting after sorting andcleaning, unless not collected
separately.
Physical(Dissolution)·using a solvent to extract thepolymers and make new recycled
polymers.
Thermochemical(Chemolysis / Depolymerisation)
breaking down the polymer by solventsand heat to its basic monomers, andmake new polymers© Polycarbonate/Bisphenol A group of Plastics Europe, April 2024
Disclaimer: This information is supplied in good faith by the PC/BPA industry group of Plastics Europe and is basedon the best information currently available. While every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, the PC/BPAgroup does not accept liability for loss or damage, howsoever caused, arising from the use of the information

Polycarbonate / Bisphenol A GroupPolycarbonate is alreadyon its path to circularity
Recycled polycarbonate is alreadysuccessfully used in consumer electronics,which can contain up to 95% of recycledcontent. This has been possible due to acoordinated value-chain effort, including
promoting and making available recycled
polycarbonate in the market, major
brands’ demanding more circularmaterials and governments’ incentivizing
this uptake.
Further circularity of polycarbonate can beachieved when mechanical recycling iscomplemented at scale with additional
recycling technologies. To this goal,different technologies such as dissolution
and chemolysis have been adapted forpolycarbonate and successfully applied inmini and pilot plants. Industrial scaleproduction could be achieved as early as
2025 for dissolution technologies.
During production, polycarbonate withrecycled PC content has favourable
environmental impact, such as reduced
CO2 emissions and less water and energy
consumption.

Environmental benefits of mechanically recycled PC
virgin resinswater
consumption

PC with 50% PCR content 47% less
PC/ABS with 60% PCR content 71% lessglobalwarming
potential

energyconsumption

virgin resins
PC with 50% PCR content
PC/ABS with 60% PCR content

38% less

60% lessvirgin resins

PC with 50% PCR content 44% less
PC/ABS with 60% PCR content

59% less

PCR = Post Consumer Recycling© Polycarbonate/Bisphenol A group of Plastics Europe, April 2024
Disclaimer: This information is supplied in good faith by the PC/BPA industry group of Plastics Europe and is basedon the best information currently available. While every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, the PC/BPA
group does not accept liability for loss or damage, howsoever caused, arising from the use of the information

Polycarbonate / Bisphenol A GroupOur request:
Accelerating circularity in Europe
Under the European Green Deal, ambitious targets for decarbonization andcircularity were set. The conditions enabling to achieve these targets should now be
the focus of policy decisions. In the case of polycarbonate, massive investments inindustrial infrastructure as well as reliable regulatory frameworks to allow theseinvestments are needed:

Effective implementation andenforcement of existing waste
and circularity legislation

Acceptance of the mass balance
concept and chemical recycling
technologies

Once the infrastructure is established,circular waste management has to bebrought to full effectiveness. This would
entail the definitive end of landfill and thehighest reduction of incineration possible,
supported for example by EPR schemes
to ensure the waste is actually recycled.

The inclusion of chemical recycling isindispensable to close the polycarbonate
cycle. Circularity policy objectives inregulations such as Ecodesign,
Construction Products Regulation or Endof-Life Vehicles will also largely benefit fromthese recycling technologies.

Fostering a market environmentthat rewards supply of lowcarbon and circular products

Harmonizing waste management
and incentives to build
infrastructure

The high complexity of new value chains
including the impact of circularity andtechnology developments over timerequires incorporation: Products’
footprints must be considered over theentire value chain including end-of-life ina circular economy. The aim would be to
reward and create a demand for
products from low-carbon and circularvalue chains.

One of the key challenges in large
volume recycling, not only forpolycarbonate, is the supply of wellsorted waste streams in reliable
quantities as feedstock for efficientmechanical and chemical recycling.
Policies supporting the establishment ofsuitable infrastructures and facilitation ofcollaboration between value chains andpublic authorities will substantiallyenhance waste stream quality andreliability.

© Polycarbonate/Bisphenol A group of Plastics Europe, April 2024
Disclaimer: This information is supplied in good faith by the PC/BPA industry group of Plastics Europe and is basedon the best information currently available. While every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, the PC/BPAgroup does not accept liability for loss or damage, howsoever caused, arising from the use of the information

Polycarbonate / Bisphenol A GroupThe polycarbonate journey
towards sustainability
Blockchain technology: investigation ofpossibilities with blockchain technology tosupport end-to-end digital traceability ofcircular feedstock in consumer applications
allows adequate validation of ESG credentials
and sustainability proof points.
EV charger application: EV charging station
housings made from certified renewablepolycarbonate, supporting circular economy,
mitigating climate issues, reducing CO2
emissions in production.
Chemolysis pilot plant Germany (Leverkusen)
on the way to industrial scale: replacing fossile
raw material in production, complementary tomechanical recycling, recycles sorted waste
streams with at least 50% PC into monomers to
be fed back into the production process asalternative raw m﻿aterial.

As of 2024, Cartagena plant
will run entirely on solar power

Polycarbonate based on renewable
feedstock reducing CO2 remissions
and use of fossile feedstock, up to 50%
reduction in carbon footprintcompared to fossile based PC
production.
Industrial scale production ofrecycled polycarbonate using
dissolution technology in Northern
Germany and the Netherland plants
expected for 2025 for use in newmaterials.
Circular design guidebook backed bycase studies done in collaboration
with polycarbonate customers puttingemphasis on monomaterial design,modular design and choice of color,material and finish
Recycled polymer can be used tomanufacture headlamps.

© Polycarbonate/Bisphenol A group of Plastics Europe, April 2024
Disclaimer: This information is supplied in good faith by the PC/BPA industry group of Plastics Europe and is basedon the best information currently available. While every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, the PC/BPA
group does not accept liability for loss or damage, howsoever caused, arising from the use of the information

Polycarbonate / Bisphenol A Group