Devan
Recycling of coated and painted textile and plastic materials

The project consortium, led by the textile research center Centexbel, Gent/Belgium, consists of 17 European partners from across the value chain including design, manufacturing, NGOs, and research and innovation.
The focus of the consortium is on those materials which are currently not recyclable. Ambitious plastic recycling targets of 50% have been set, and smart solutions to enable the circular use of textile and plastic parts with multi-layer coatings must be considered.
Devan’s specific role is in the development of microcapsules that will release its active core on application of a certain trigger (e.g. heat) at the end of life of the article. Different active core ingredients will be evaluated, and Devan will develop processes for each type of core ingredient and for each type of coating layer/matrix.
The bold aim of the 4-year project is to decrease landfill by 75% of coated articles that are presently difficult to recycle, such as clothing, electronic goods and automotive components. A reduction in the carbon footprint by at least 30% for the considered products is aimed for. This is expected to generate in the medium term a new market valued at over €150 million in Europe.