2025-08-21
The global plastic agreement has once again fallen short – however, startups have been offering solutions for quite some time.
While international negotiations continue to remain inconclusive, young companies around the world are developing innovative technologies to combat plastic waste. Some of them are part of the Circular Valley network.
The image may be used free of charge for reporting purposes - Source: Circular Valley
The latest negotiations in Geneva on a global plastics agreement have once again ended without result. The more than 180 nations involved in the negotiations were unable to reach an agreement. The dangers posed by plastic waste have been known for more than 50 years – and yet more and more of it is being produced. Every year, around 460 million tons of plastic are produced, less than 10 percent of which is recycled, and over 30 million tons end up in the oceans.
At the political level, there is still no sign of a solution that could be agreed upon globally. New regulations such as the requirement for fixed bottle caps in the EU are rather causing frustration.
“We have been discussing the plastic problem for decades. Technological approaches are required to resolve it,” states Dr. Carsten Gerhardt, Chairman of the non-profit Circular Valley Foundation. Such approaches have been on the table for quite some time. “Startups from around the world demonstrate that innovation can be faster than negotiations.”
Startups from the Circular Valley network are working on solutions
Some of these companies have already received support from Circular Valley Foundation's Circular Economy Accelerator. For example, the start-up PROSERVATION manufactures cushioning packaging from by-products of the grain industry, BIOWEG replaces microplastics with biomaterials from food waste, and the company Biomyc uses mycelium composites made from mushroom roots and plants. NYUNGU AFRIKA manufactures feminine hygiene products from pineapple leaf and corn husk fibers, Midwest Composites uses crop waste to produce textiles, and Vlastic offers an alternative to foamed plastics based on flax.
When products reach the end of their useful life, recycling can give them a second one. Ecoplastile transforms waste into durable roof tiles, Gescol makes building panels from shoe soles, and Novoloop uses hard-to-recycle polyethylene to produce high-performance thermoplastic polyurethanes.
Chemical recycling breaks down plastics into molecular building blocks. The company CARBOLIQ uses a low-temperature catalytic process to convert mixed plastics into oil that can replace fossil raw materials, and Radical Dot extracts monomers so that they can be reused.
Circular Valley has released an informational film this year about chemical recycling, explaining and illustrating the possibilities of this method. The film is available here on YouTube.
A good collection and sorting system is essential for recycling. Lixo uses AI-supported monitoring to improve sorting accuracy and ensure that more materials end up in the right process. Plastic Fischer intercepts waste in rivers before it reaches the sea, and CyFract filters microplastics out of water systems. The startup Cyrkl connects supply and demand for recycled plastics and operates a marketplace for secondary raw materials.
Many of these technologies are on the verge of commercialization. With the right support, they can help tackle the plastic problem in the future. “The way these young companies have set out gives hope that a solution is in sight,” says Dr. Carsten Gerhardt.
About Circular Valley
Circular Valley is the international hotspot for the circular economy, based in the greater Rhine-Ruhr region. The non-profit Circular Valley Foundation brings together the relevant stakeholders. Across industries and technologies, companies, startups, academia, and policymakers are working together to develop solutions for the transformation to a true circular economy. Public relations, the world's first circular economy accelerator, and policy recommendations are the foundation's main areas of focus.
Note for editors
If you have any questions or interview requests, please contact us by e-mail at press@circular-valley.org
At the political level, there is still no sign of a solution that could be agreed upon globally. New regulations such as the requirement for fixed bottle caps in the EU are rather causing frustration.
“We have been discussing the plastic problem for decades. Technological approaches are required to resolve it,” states Dr. Carsten Gerhardt, Chairman of the non-profit Circular Valley Foundation. Such approaches have been on the table for quite some time. “Startups from around the world demonstrate that innovation can be faster than negotiations.”
Startups from the Circular Valley network are working on solutions
Some of these companies have already received support from Circular Valley Foundation's Circular Economy Accelerator. For example, the start-up PROSERVATION manufactures cushioning packaging from by-products of the grain industry, BIOWEG replaces microplastics with biomaterials from food waste, and the company Biomyc uses mycelium composites made from mushroom roots and plants. NYUNGU AFRIKA manufactures feminine hygiene products from pineapple leaf and corn husk fibers, Midwest Composites uses crop waste to produce textiles, and Vlastic offers an alternative to foamed plastics based on flax.
When products reach the end of their useful life, recycling can give them a second one. Ecoplastile transforms waste into durable roof tiles, Gescol makes building panels from shoe soles, and Novoloop uses hard-to-recycle polyethylene to produce high-performance thermoplastic polyurethanes.
Chemical recycling breaks down plastics into molecular building blocks. The company CARBOLIQ uses a low-temperature catalytic process to convert mixed plastics into oil that can replace fossil raw materials, and Radical Dot extracts monomers so that they can be reused.
Circular Valley has released an informational film this year about chemical recycling, explaining and illustrating the possibilities of this method. The film is available here on YouTube.
A good collection and sorting system is essential for recycling. Lixo uses AI-supported monitoring to improve sorting accuracy and ensure that more materials end up in the right process. Plastic Fischer intercepts waste in rivers before it reaches the sea, and CyFract filters microplastics out of water systems. The startup Cyrkl connects supply and demand for recycled plastics and operates a marketplace for secondary raw materials.
Many of these technologies are on the verge of commercialization. With the right support, they can help tackle the plastic problem in the future. “The way these young companies have set out gives hope that a solution is in sight,” says Dr. Carsten Gerhardt.
About Circular Valley
Circular Valley is the international hotspot for the circular economy, based in the greater Rhine-Ruhr region. The non-profit Circular Valley Foundation brings together the relevant stakeholders. Across industries and technologies, companies, startups, academia, and policymakers are working together to develop solutions for the transformation to a true circular economy. Public relations, the world's first circular economy accelerator, and policy recommendations are the foundation's main areas of focus.
Note for editors
If you have any questions or interview requests, please contact us by e-mail at press@circular-valley.org
