ReStoff – Digital Interlinking of Plastic Material Flows in Bavaria 

Project Duration 

01 January 2026 – 31 December 2026 

Funding 

The project is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. 

Project Partners 

The cross-cluster project Restoff is jointly implemented by Umweltcluster Bayern and Chemie-Cluster Bayern. 

Project Description 

With the further development of the Bavarian Circular Economy Strategy (BayKWS), targeted support for resource efficiency, material reuse and the interlinking of relevant stakeholders and material flows along value chains is gaining increasing importance. Particularly in the field of plastics recycling, there is a strong need for action – driven both by regulatory developments at EU level and by growing industrial requirements regarding raw material security. 

Although numerous companies in Bavaria are already active in mechanical and chemical recycling, there is currently no structured and transparent overview of which companies are able to process specific plastic material flows and which technologies (e.g. depolymerisation, extrusion or pyrolysis) are available. Creating such transparency is a key prerequisite for closing material loops, enabling targeted support for companies and advancing the development of circular business models. 

Objectives 

The objective of the cross-cluster project Restoff is to establish a robust data basis for the structured interlinking of waste and secondary raw material streams with suitable recycling companies, initially with a focus on Bavaria. The project concentrates on plastic material flows in mechanical and chemical recycling. 

In the short term, the systematic collection, structuring and processing of data will create direct added value for cluster activities. Umweltcluster Bayern and Chemie-Cluster Bayern will be able to support their members more effectively, initiate targeted connections along value chains and provide improved market orientation. 

In the long term, the data basis will serve as the foundation for a digital solution that can be linked to existing platforms and expanded to additional material categories (e.g. metals, ceramics or composites). 

Target Groups 

The project addresses: 

• Companies involved in plastics processing and waste management 
• Providers of recycling technologies (mechanical and chemical) 
• Developers of new technologies (research institutions and universities) for material flow modelling and process upscaling 
• Advisory and intermediary organisations such as chambers of commerce and industry (IHKs), the Resource Efficiency Center Bavaria (REZ), environmental and chemical clusters, as well as political stakeholders 

Approach and Work Packages 

The project includes the following activities: 

• Development of a structured questionnaire in cooperation with the IHK Nuremberg for Middle Franconia, Umweltcluster Bayern, Chemie-Cluster Bayern and REZ 
• Identification of relevant companies in Bavaria (potentially supplemented by neighbouring federal states) 
• Systematic outreach and structured data collection on current and future material flows, technologies, and input and output materials 
• Processing of results in the form of a technology and material flow overview for internal use and targeted interlinking along value chains 
• Compilation of results in a report to support structured documentation and transferability to other recycling sectors 

Contribution to the Bavarian Circular Economy Strategy 

Through its results, the project makes a concrete contribution to the implementation of the Bavarian Circular Economy Strategy. It links digitalisation, resource efficiency and industrial cooperation and creates the basis for follow-up projects, such as digital tools or platform solutions that can be transferred to other sectors. 

Contact & Participation 

Interested organisations are invited to actively contribute to the project. 
 
For further information, please contact Dr. Kerstin Schindler (Chemie-Cluster Bayern): 

📧 schindler@chemiecluster-bayern.de