Teaching development Resource management
Sustainable resource management is an important part of the environmental engineering degree program at ETH Zurich. In the lectures Waste Technology, Waste Recycling Technologies and Waste Management and Circular Economy, Bachelor's and Master's students are taught the necessary knowledge and skills. Between September 2019 and February 2025, Dr. Melanie Haupt and Dr. Maja Wiprächtiger took over the management of all three lectures. [...]
All-in-One: The Revolution in Plastics Recycling
Modern life is unimaginable without plastics, but the environmental impact of plastic waste must be drastically reduced. Currently, only about 8% of the plastics used in Switzerland are recycled. However, there is enormous potential in material recycling: increased material recycling is the key to conserving resources, reducing CO2 emissions and strengthening the […]
Sustainable Recycling Pathways for Fiber-Based Lightweight Packaging
Technical innovations and political efforts are leading to increased use of lightweight packaging made from paper and cardboard (P+C) based materials and other cellulose fiber products. Fiber-based lightweight packaging is used in combination with plastics, for example, and often contains residual contamination compared to newspapers and cardboard boxes. Existing P+C recyclers in Switzerland are not specialized in this type of lightweight packaging, […]
VOBU Study «Requirement for Material Recycling of EPS and XPS Insulation Materials»
Initial situation Insulation materials greatly reduce the energy consumption of buildings. However, their production contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions in the construction industry. The production and energy recovery of expanded polystyrene (EPS) alone generates around 130,000 tons of CO₂ equivalents every year in Switzerland. With the predicted increase in deconstructed insulation materials, the question of sustainable recycling is becoming increasingly [...]
Establishing closed-loop systems for food contact rPP (FCMrPP)
As part of an Innosuisse project, we collaborated with research and industry partners to investigate the feasibility of a closed-loop system for polypropylene (PP) food packaging in Switzerland. We simulated the first complete Swiss cycle for secondary PP in food applications, from the collection of post-consumer plastic waste to the production of test specimens. The focus was particularly on practical implementation, the […]
Survey of industrial and commercial packaging
Packaging accounts for 40% of plastic consumption and a large proportion of cardboard consumption. However, while consumer goods packaging has been the focus of attention in recent years and various projects are underway to optimize it, there is a lack of relevant knowledge when it comes to commercial and industrial packaging (C&I packaging). To date, there have been no comprehensive statistics on the volume flows or the materials used [...].
Circoplast – Circular Construction Plastics
Over one million tons of plastics are consumed in Switzerland every year - around 22% of which are used by the construction industry. The Circoplast project was launched to extend the service life of these 220,000 tons of plastics and close the material cycle. In collaboration with players from the construction and plastics industry, recycling companies and the support of [...]
Creating cycles for flexible packaging (films)
This pilot project, part of the realCYCLE project made possible by the Migros Pioneer Fund, was designed and implemented in collaboration with stakeholders in the plastics value chain. The overarching theme of realCYCLE was to understand and align the entire value chain of plastic packaging as a cycle. The systemic requirements and framework conditions for scalability were examined and concrete possibilities were identified that would enable comprehensive and [...]
realCYCLE Project
Whether we like it or not, plastic packaging will remain an integral part of our daily lives for a long time to come. However, the enormous consumption devours raw materials and energy – and leaves behind huge mountains of waste. The realCYCLE project aims to change this. Made possible by the Migros Pioneer Fund, it aims to understand and align the entire value chain of plastic packaging as a circular economy. A prerequisite for a […]
ResCuE – Responsible and Sustainable E-waste Management in Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca, with a population of 615,000, is the third-largest city in Ecuador and faces significant challenges in the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The objective of this project is to improve the management of e-waste from collection to recycling. This will be achieved by optimizing the existing processes of the municipal waste management company EMAC-EP and transforming the existing collection point into a center for […]