In Paris on February 4-5, 2019, Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) and Citeo held a Forum entitled “Plastic solutions: recycling innovations on both sides of the Atlantic”.

Running over two days, the Forum brought together thirteen innovative companies in Paris. Every single one of them is at the cutting edge of new plastic recycling techniques (start-ups and established industry players), and they were joined by big names in retail and supply chain, financiers and investors, industrial partners, and political decision-makers.

In a rapidly developing field, the Plastic Solutions Forum provided both a comprehensive overview of the state of the art, and access to the decision-makers who will make the difference. In addition to the forum itself, the aim was also to promote the development of new industrial recycling projects by facilitating investment decisions through a pertinent selection of potential partners: project developers, main international clients, public and private financial players, and industry names in the plastics sector.

The aim was to accelerate innovation to reach the industrial scale, and make the promise of a circular economy a full reality.

Most observers believe that the sector has recently passed a threshold, and statements of intent are coming in quick succession. Within the next 3-5 years, it is a real possibility that facilities in Europe and North America will be making use of new approaches to plastic recycling based on research into polymers (depolymerisation, dissolution, purifications, repolymerisation, etc.).

Sector players and brand owners are eagerly awaiting this kind of technology. Because of this, the Forum setted out to promote the most significant plastics recycling projects from Quebec, North America, and Europe. Attendees had the opportunity to:

- Attend presentations on the most promising technologies and projects

- Meet the brains behind the technology, one-on-one

- Listen to policymakers and industry players reveal their programmes to promote plastic recycling