RecimPET

Development of High-Performance Waterproofing Membranes for Construction from Recycled Materials

We are actively involved in the RECImPET Project, an initiative focused on developing recycled materials from multilayer PET packaging waste through an innovative mechanical recycling process. This technology makes it possible to compatibilize all components of the multilayer structure without the need for separating individual layers.

The project aims to optimize formulations containing recycled multilayer PET to manufacture high-performance waterproofing membranes for construction, as well as components for footwear and toys — giving new life to materials that are currently not being recovered.

Alongside Revestech, the RECImPET consortium includes IBERresinas, researchers from the Institute of Materials Technology (ITM) at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), and AIJU, the Technological Institute for Children’s Products and Leisure. The project is based on a patented process developed by UPV and AIJU for obtaining recycled material from both pre-consumer and post-consumer multilayer PET packaging waste.

RECImPET is funded by the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI), under its Strategic Collaborative Projects Programme. This programme supports the development of large-scale R&D&I projects aimed at generating collaborative solutions to common industrial and environmental challenges. Multilayer PET packaging is one of the main waste streams found in rigid food packaging that ends up in the yellow recycling bin. However, due to its complex layered composition, it presents significant challenges for traditional mechanical recycling.

Yet, transforming this type of packaging into sustainable raw material is essential to advancing a circular economy. The key questions are: Is it possible to recycle multilayer PET? And more importantly, can it be done without separating the layers?