Extrusion International 4-2022

23 Extrusion International 4/2022 trialised countries, more remote and poorer regions of the world have hardly benefited from high-tech solutions for industrial recycling processes so far. They are held back by a lack of infrastructure and know-how. That is why waste is often incinerated or disposed of in landfills, rivers and the surrounding environment. "Our mission – Another life for plastic, because we care – is also aimed at supporting these regions with solutions for plastic recycling, and with plasticpreneur ® we have found the ideal partner for this," says Hackl. The start-up company's machines can process HDPE, PP, PS, LDPE, PLA, AB and TPU separately. Their product range includes a shredder, injection moulding unit, extruder unit for the production of end products, air filters as well as custom-built moulds. "For our machines to be used in re- gions with little infrastructure, they must be easy to oper- ate without prior knowledge. The fact that we also devel- op end-product solutions needed locally makes our range of services particularly attractive here," explains Sören Lex, CEO and co-founder of plasticpreneur ® . As soon as recy- cling also becomes a source of income for the operators, they become entrepreneurs. That explains the name of the start-up, a word created from "plastic" and "entrepre- neur". plasticpreneur ® customers in these countries include e.g. social enterprises and operators of refugee camps, where everyday consumer goods – from clothes pegs and school supplies to toys and fence posts – are produced and sold using plastic waste. This means that the added value stays local. The demand for plasticpreneur ® machines is also increas- ing in industrialised countries. On the one hand by educa- tional institutions and organisations that use them to raise awareness of the need for a circular economy in workshops and to give pupils as well as adults a better understanding of plastic recycling. EREMA Gruppe www.erema.com An examples of application for plasticpreneur ® machines: from plastic recycling to the new end product in Uganda (Photo: plasticpreneur ® )