Listened to & summarised from the SWR podcast ‘Das Wissen – Die Plastikwende: How can plastic become sustainable?’ with chemist Dr Manuel Häußler (Max Planck Institute/CTC, founder of EvoLoop).
1 | Why we need to rethink plastic
Plastic is light, robust and extremely cheap – which is precisely why it is conquering every market segment. But the real problem lies at the end of its life: Huge quantities are still being landfilled, dumped into the environment or incinerated worldwide. Even in Germany’s exemplary system, two thirds of all collected plastics end up in “energy recovery”, i. e. in the oven – only around one third is recycled.
Microplastics are exacerbating the situation: they can now be found in Arctic ice, breast milk and even in the brain – because conventional polymers are not degraded.
2 | Four must-have criteria according to Dr Häußler
According to the researcher, the “ideal plastic” must fulfil four properties at the same time:
- Performant – i. e. mechanically versatile like today’s PE or PP.
- Cheap – otherwise nobody will use it .
- Recyclable – with a high-quality cycle without downcycling.
- Biodegradable – so that unavoidable microplastics do not cause any harm.
3 | Limits of mechanical recycling
Even with better sorting and packaging design, classic recycling reaches its physical limits:
- Age of polymers; after three to four melting cycles the quality drops sharply.
- Complex composite or colour systems can hardly be separated by type.
4 | Chemical redesign: “predetermined breaking points” in the polymer
Häußler’s approach: polyethylene 2.0 – a molecule that looks almost like classic PE, but has specifically integrated ester fracture sites.
- These biomimetic links are recognised by enzymes and cleave the chain right there.
- During processing, the “ball of wool” plastic can be cut into manageable fragments with little energy; additives or colourants can then be washed out.
- Example: bright blue cleaning bottles are turned back into colourless granulate that can be recoloured at will – impossible today.
The speciality: The team uses waste polythene as a raw material and retrofits the breakage points. Cheap material, hardly any new crude oil – this creates price parity without a “green premium”.
5 | From the lab to practice
- EvoLoop aims to deliver the first products in niche applications (e. g. high-quality consumer goods) in 2026.
- At the same time, the Centre for the Transformation of Chemistry (CTC) in central Germany is setting up pilot and demonstration plants in order to quickly achieve economies of scale.
6 | What does this mean for flexpack professionals?
| Field of action | Specific To-dos for Innoform partners |
|---|---|
| Design for ChemCycle | Test mono-material films with a defined oxygen index; test dyes and additives for enzymatic separability. |
| Feedstock partnerships | Establish supply chains with Chem-Recycler/EvoLoop at an early stage in order to monetise PE waste streams as a recyclable material. |
| Microplastic safety | Validate products for biodegradability of particles (e. g. OECD tests); communicate claims clearly. |
| Regulation | Keep an eye on the EU quota of > 30 % recyclate by 2030; prepare mass balance certifications. |
7 | Conclusion
The discussion shows that recycling or biodegradation is not enough – we need both in one material. This is exactly what Häußler’s team is working on with its “polyethylene evolution”. For the packaging industry, this means
- Start pilot projects now to make processes and machines compatible.
- Adapt market communication – added value lies not only in the carbon footprint, but also in the combined microplastic safety.
- The courage to transform pays off: Those who get in early secure raw material flows and brand advantages.
The plastic revolution is realisable – if we think about performance, price and the cycle at the same time. Let’s tackle it!
The original episode: “Das Wissen”, SWR, published on 1 June 2025:
Dr Manuel Häußler is a German chemist who specialises in the development of sustainable plastics. He completed his doctorate at the University of Konstanz with a thesis on fully recyclable plant oil-based plastics. He was awarded the Körber Foundation’s German Study Prize in 2022 for his dissertation. (campus.uni-konstanz.de)
In March 2023, Häußler took over as head of the “Circular Chemical Concepts” working group at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces. He is also group leader at the Centre for the Transformation of Chemistry (CTC) in Central Germany and co-founder and co-CEO of the start-up aevoloop GmbH. (LinkedIn, imw.fraunhofer.de)
His research focuses on the development of innovative recycling processes that convert conventional plastic waste into high-quality, fully recyclable materials. One example of this is the “SymbioLoop” project, which is researching the biotechnological recycling of waste using a co-culture of algae and yeasts. (campus.uni-konstanz.de, transforming-chemistry.org)
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