The four‑year INCREACE programme is coming to an end. Since 2022, Partners for Innovation has been working with international organisations and companies on the EU‑supported project Increasing Recycled content in added value products for a resilient and digitized circular economy — abbreviated to INCREACE. The aim: to increase the use of recycled plastics (recyclate) in new products. Colleagues Jos Vlugter, Esmée Bakker and project lead Flora Poppelaars worked on this project. Flora looks back.

How much more recyclate is used in new electronics today compared to 2022?

In 2022, 3.2% of all plastics used in new electronics consisted of post‑consumer recycled material. How much this has increased is not yet known. What we can say: thanks to INCREACE, we now understand far better why the use of recycled plastics has lagged behind — and how to remove the technical, economic and consumer barriers that stand in the way of significantly increasing recyclate content.

What stops companies from using more recycled material?

The consortium examined three types of barriers:

Technical barriers

These occur in applications with strict requirements, such as food safety (kitchen appliances), hygiene (toothbrushes), or specific high‑performance technical properties. For five cases, we have developed practical solutions.

Economic barriers

Selecting the right recycled materials goes beyond price alone. It requires evaluating the entire development effort, considering both qualitative and quantitative costs.

By integrating recycling into product design, companies comply with increasingly strict regulations on waste and environmental impact and gain access to a growing market for recycled materials — a market that is becoming more valuable across sectors.

The project also examined how plastic recycling can shift from a waste‑driven perspective (“what is the best way to process plastic waste?”) to a market‑driven perspective (“what is the best way to build supply chains for secondary materials?”)

Perception and consumer behaviour

Consumer perception plays an important role. People may doubt the quality, safety or hygiene of recycled materials, especially in products involving food contact or skin contact. Some consumers also question aesthetics: products containing recyclate sometimes show ‘speckles’ or appear less shiny. Good design guidelines, however, can significantly improve acceptance.

Do consumers buy products with recycled material consciously?

Some do, but far from everyone. Recyclate percentages motivate certain buyers, while others are not influenced by them at all. Many consumers have no idea how much recyclate a product contains — that information is hard to find.

INCREACE also aims to improve collection. Is that really the biggest problem?

Collection is a major issue, but it is not as simple as “we don’t collect enough.” Europe has strict targets and rules, but we still fail to meet them.

A key problem: collection is often not part of the consumer journey. Before buying, consumers have endless choices, but when it comes to returning products, almost none. As a result, millions of devices remain in drawers — the infamous “drawer mobiles”. Companies can make a huge difference by making returns logical and easy. For example: including a return bag with the purchase of a new device.

Where is recycled plastic already working well?

Depending on the application, recycled plastics are already used in high percentages (up to 100%). This is typically in non‑visible components that have lower aesthetic requirements. INCREACE therefore focused on more challenging applications, such as food contact or materials requiring electrostatic properties.

What has INCREACE ultimately delivered?

We now have a much clearer understanding of:

• which technical solutions are possible for recycled plastics in demanding applications;
• which costs need to be considered when selecting recycled materials;
• what the environmental impact is of different recycling technologies;
• how companies can encourage consumer acceptance of recycled materials;
• and how to design collection programmes that strengthen customer relationships.

Together, these insights show how we can progress towards genuine circularity — technically, commercially and in behaviour.

Book on INCREACE results launched

On 26 March 2026, the final conclusions of the INCREACE project — published in a beautifully designed book — will be presented at an event in Berlin, which can also be attended online. Registration is now open.