• The INDUREC 4.0 project uses blockchain technology and systems to drive a true circular economy and modernize the plastic recycling sector
• Coordinated by the Packaging and Packaging Innovation Cluster and co-financed by the Ministry of Industry, it has the participation of the Packaging Cluster Association, Blockchain Traceability (TRAZABLE), Pérez Cerdá and the AIMPLAS technology center

Knowing the traceability of the plastic packaging recycling process is key so that companies can contribute to the circular economy efficiently. In response to this challenge, INDUREC 4.0 was born, a project dedicated to the research and development of a new application that supervises and follows the different steps in the management of plastic packaging, from initial recycling to the various stages of transformation. This project, coordinated by the Container and Packaging Innovation Cluster within the 2023 line of aid aimed at the Innovative Business Groups (AEI) of the General Directorate of Industry and Small and Medium Enterprises of the Government of Spain, has the participation of the AIMPLAS technology center, as well as Blockchain Traceability (TRAZABLE), Pérez Cerdá and the Packaging Cluster Association. Specifically, the developed application will make it possible to monitor the situation of the materials at all stages of the process. In the words of the director of the Packaging Cluster, Jesús Pérez, the information generated will be “used to valorize waste, helping entities to make more effective and intuitive decisions.” To achieve this, the project, coordinated by the Cluster, will make use of blockchain technologies and traceability systems that already exist in the plastics and materials recycling industry. Firstly, INDUREC 4.0 will create advanced software that will collect data from transformation processes and provide precise material traceability. Secondly, it will include the installation of sensory equipment for automatic data collection, optimizing the efficiency of the process through automation.Solution framed within Industry 4.0 The project is framed in the field of Industry 4.0, specifically business and intelligence solutions to develop a software application focused on modernizing the recycling sector and generating plastic packaging and other injection and extrusion products. In fact, the resulting application represents an advance in the process of recycled materials, which helps companies adapt to new legislative changes linked to the use of plastic materials. Finally, it should be noted that this project is co-financed by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism (MINCOTUR) through the 2023 call for the 2023 AEI within the framework of the Next Generation aid and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.