Growth and acceleration of the circular plastic chain from the Northern Netherlands

National Growth Fund Advisory Committee pays a working visit to the Nationaal Testcentrum Circulaire Plastics (NTCP)

On Tuesday, February 13, part of the National Growth Fund Advisory Committee will pay a working visit to Nationaal Testcentrum Circulaire Plastics (NTCP) in Heerenveen to see tangible results and developments that NTCP has realized over the past 5 years. Since 2019, NTCP is the leading research institute in Europe in the field of characterizing, sorting and washing plastics from (household) waste streams.

The establishment of NTCP was made possible at the time by public funding from the Ministry of I&W, Province of Fryslân and the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund Foundation. NTCP is now exploring opportunities for expansion in consultation with Circular Plastics NL (CPNL). CPNL started an independent program from the National Growth Fund.

Delegates from the National Growth Fund Advisory Committee, Sven Smit, Senior Partner McKinsey and Michiel Muller, CEO Picnic, will be extensively educated during the working visit on the importance of proper pre-treatment of waste streams to increase both the quality and quantity of recycled plastic.

NTCP, an independent non-profit organization is open to cooperation with all parties in the chain and provides objective results and advice. On a relevant industrial scale, the center provides the opportunity to conduct testing and research, evaluate new technologies, and develop and test processes for both mechanical and chemical recycling routes. Conducting experiments and research at this scale accelerates implementation in industry.

With this approach, NTCP has gained a unique position in Europe and even the world, which has led to orders and cooperation with many regional, national and international parties from the entire chain. Meanwhile, NTCP's team has grown to almost 20 employees who have built up specific and unique expertise in the field of characterizing, sorting and washing.

Martine Brandsma, director NTCP: "The development towards a circular plastics chain is not a given. Fortunately, the Dutch government, through the National Growth Fund Initiative CPNL, supports and thus emphasizes the need for investment in knowledge and development as well as the opportunity to maintain a distinctive position internationally."

Characterization, sorting and washing is an important part of the CPNL program. Together we are exploring how to expand NTCP's activities. It is important to improve the quality of plastic recycling in the Netherlands and increase capacity to take steps toward circularity. NTCP is open to cooperation with all parties. Also for the partners who have submitted open applications from CPNL to assess new technologies and develop and test processes for both mechanical and chemical recycling routes.