ReCIrcE is the name of a project selected by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment as a lighthouse project. It aims to use AI to make material cycles more transparent and thus optimize waste separation and digital lifecycle records (product passport). The tool will be made available as open source after the project ends in September 2023.

Waste management is facing an increasingly pressing challenge: Recyclable consumer waste such as packaging, electronic waste and clothing increasingly consists of materials that are difficult to sort and recycle. Manufacturers, disposers and recyclers do not exchange enough information about product design, life cycles and value chains. Manufacturers often lack information to improve the recyclability of products. At the same time, recyclers lack knowledge about the quantities and qualities of the expected material flows. This information deficit hinders the logistical and technological development of recycling processes.

ReCircE will now make it possible to make the entire materials chain of a complex product, such as a washing machine, transparent. In addition, machine learning algorithms are to help separate waste by type as far as possible. In this way, the consortium of companies and research institutions aims to improve the recycling of products with a high diversity of materials.

Learn more about how ReCircE can give you an edge in our Future Insight: Digital lifecycle file for the circular economy