ACTIVITIES

Our primary goal is to facilitate informal networking among innovation partners which, frequently, include SME companies. Thanks to wide levels of scientific and engineering expertise we support our members in reaching that industrial innovation which allows them to improve competitiveness in the global economy providing the best tools to engage the new societal and environmental challenges.

In ECP4 we base our efforts on different kind of activities and actions that allow us to increase and improve our collaborations and move, step by step, toward a better future for plastics and composites and composites in the circular economy.

ECP4 supports the AMI2030 Advanced Materials Initiative, an open and inclusive forum, seeking to transform the European Advanced Materials sector sustainably. To do so, a common and shared framework for all Advanced Materials stakeholders is proposed. By integrating all strands of stakeholders, from upstream developers, manufacturers, downstream users, citizens and all stakeholders in between, the initiative covers the full range of the advanced materials value chain and considers the innovation cycle.

This Strategic Materials Agenda (SMA) is intended to feed into the discussions between the European Commission and Member States on the development of the Coordinated Plan of Action on advanced materials.  To exhibit novel and outstanding functionality, Advanced Materials play an important – often critical – role in the green and digital transition while simultaneously reinforcing Europe’s strategic sovereignty.

ECP4 is one of the Circular Plastics Alliance Declaration signatories. The declaration describes the alliance’s vision to boost the uptake of recyclates on the EU market. The CPA consists of a set of actions to reach the EU target to incorporate 10 million tons of recycled plastics into products in the EU annually by 2025.

ECP4 members are mainly involved in the definition of the R&D and investment needs, including the scale-up of chemical recycling:

We commit to build by 1/3/2020 a research and development agenda on circular plastics, to address the technological barriers to meet the market and regulatory needs.

We commit to map by 1/1/2021 the investments and funding needed in the collection, sorting, recycling, and converting of plastics, and list the technological, economic, and regulatory challenges to make these investments.

We call for the plastics value chains and public authorities to further invest along the lines of the R&D agenda and the mapping of investments mentioned above.

Throughout the year, ECP4 actively engages in numerous events in collaboration with its esteemed members. A significant presence was marked during the EuPC annual conference, where ECP4 contributed substantially to discussions and initiatives. Additionally, participation was notable at the PLASTKO conference 2022 in the Czech Republic and the PLAST 2023 event in Italy, showcasing the platform’s commitment to industry engagement across borders.

One of the highlights of ECP4’s calendar is its public annual conference. This event serves as a beacon of knowledge exchange and collaboration, welcoming all interested parties who aspire to enrich their involvement in the dynamic innovation landscape of plastics and composites. Open to attendees free of charge, this conference stands as a testament to ECP4’s dedication to fostering an inclusive environment for advancement within the industry.

In 2024, ECP4 will be represented during INDTech (Conference on Industrial Technologies), a pivotal bi-annual event that brings together stakeholders from research organisations, industry, SMEs, and policymaking to discuss the state-of-the-art, technological challenges, as well as future trends in the field of industrial technologies.

The Strategic Research Agenda for the Plastics and Composites Industry is a plan to illustrate how European Industry and Research Organisations and the European Commission can work together to ensure we remain globally competitive, maintain our lead in technology and innovation, retain and grow investment and employment, fulfill Circular Economy objectives and meet societal challenges for a better tomorrow.

The Strategic Research Agenda has the following objectives:

To clearly demonstrate the benefits of Plastics and Composites Research and Innovation for the European Union.

To outline the future strategic research needs for the EU Plastics and Composites industries with proposals which meet the European Commission’s objectives and keep the EU Plastics and Composites industries at the forefront of innovation and globally competitive.

To seek greater recognition of the potential for Plastics and Composites research and innovation with substantially more relevant topics in Horizon Europe Programme and approvals for funding.