Project LOOP: Request for partners from knowledge institutions, companies and other stakeholders

Introduction

The Living Labs “Project LOOP” targets the pressing challenge of post-consumer PVC flooring waste, widely recognized as a difficult-to-recycle stream. A key barrier to recycling is the presence of legacy additives—such as outdated plasticizers and stabilizers—which pose regulatory and quality concerns. As a result, the majority of this material still ends up incinerated or landfilled.

However, recent advances in sorting technologies (e.g., spectroscopic analytical tools) offer an opportunity that might allow identification and separation of materials with and without legacy additives. These technologies have now reached a level of maturity that could fundamentally shift the recycling landscape for PVC flooring.

Project LOOP builds on this innovation to drive circularity in the flooring sector. By combining technological advancement with industrial uptake and system-level coordination, the project aims to significantly increase recycling rates. In Belgium alone, an estimated 15,000 tonnes of PVC flooring waste are generated annually, with up to 600,000 tonnes across Europe—highlighting the project’s substantial impact potential.

Ambition

Project LOOP aims to:

• Develop and test advanced sorting technologies capable of detecting and separating materials containing legacy additives.

• Establish a pilot collection and sorting hub in Flanders, with active participation from municipalities, demolition contractors, and waste management companies.

• Create industry take-back partnerships with manufacturers committed to incorporating clean recyclates into new flooring products.

• Define standardized specifications, logistics processes, and operational models, and making them publicly available for sector-wide replication.

By doing so, the project will (i) demonstrate the feasibility of sorting legacy-additive-free PVC flooring; (ii) enable manufacturers to re-incorporate high-quality recyclate; and (iii) establish a scalable blueprint for circular flooring recovery across Flanders, with the potential for broader European replication as other regions adopt the model pioneered in Flanders.

Request

We are currently looking for:

1. Knowledge institutions with expertise in plastic value chains and material flow modelling. Selected knowledge partners will participate in the project. They will make a substantive contribution to the project by at least deploying staff and will help disseminate knowledge about the project. Knowledge institutions will be selected based on (i) fit with the project; (ii) expertise and experience in this field and with similar projects; and (iii) complementarity with other project partners. 

2. Companies across the entire PVC flooring value chain who are interested in following and actively contributing to the project. Companies will have the opportunity to co-steer the project and help shape its outcomes.

3. Other supporting stakeholders that are committed to advancing a circular economy for PVC flooring. This includes non-profits (vzw’s), industry associations, public authorities and policy bodies, sector federations and other enabling actors. Engagement of such organizations can help ensure that the project delivers system-level impact, both regionally and across Europe.

As this concerns a Living Lab project, the submission deadline is 15 September 2025 at 23:59 (CET). Interested parties are therefore expected to respond in a timely manner to allow for sufficient interaction with the current project partners during the proposal preparation. This is particularly important for knowledge institutions, which are expected to make a substantive contribution to the project proposal.

Interested parties (knowledge institutions, companies, and other supporting stakeholders) are encouraged to send an email before 25/07/2025 to Martijn Roosen (mroosencatalisti.be (mroosen[at]catalisti[dot]be), +32 471 33 50 14) with Aron Deneyer (adeneyercatalisti.be (adeneyer[at]catalisti[dot]be); +32 472 37 52 60) in cc, and briefly describe your interest and potential contribution to the project.

This Call-for-Partners is copyrighted by Catalisti vzw and its contents may not be reproduced without the prior written approval of Catalisti. This Request for Partners reflects the status of the proposed project on its date of release and the information contained herein may not be fully up to date or accurate. All information contained herein constitutes valuable information of Catalisti and may not be used for any purposes other than the evaluation of a person’s interest in participating in the proposed project.