POLREC AWARDS 2025 : Celebrating Success stories in Polymer Recycling across Europe

POLREC Awards 2025:
Celebrating success stories in Polymer Recycling across Europe

A key milestone for polymer recycling in Europe: let's celebrate the progress of SMEs together with the POLREC Awards 2025!

Polymeris and the POLREC consortium are launching a call for applications, open until 25 September 2025 at 5 pm (CET), for the POLREC Awards 2025, which will recognize three European SMEs for their exemplary contributions to innovation, training, and internationalization in polymer recycling. Each winner will receive a €6,000 prize per category and will have the opportunity to publicly present their solutions at the final event of the POLREC project, which will be held on 10 October 2025 at Salon K in Düsseldorf.

Three categories are open for applications:

• Innovation: for European SMEs that have developed an innovation that significantly contributes to advancing polymer recycling. It is aimed at European SMEs that have developed, through their innovation strategy, technologies, processes, or products that address the main challenges of polymer recycling and/or the use of recycled polymer materials.
• Training: for European SMEs that have implemented training or skills-building initiatives that contribute to advancing polymer waste recycling within the industry. It is aimed at European SMEs that have developed training content in the field of polymer waste recovery and reuse.
• Internationalization: For European SMEs that have successfully implemented an internationalization strategy to expand their polymer recycling activities beyond the EU. Whether through exports, partnerships, mutual learning, technology transfer, or market entry, this award highlights impactful international initiatives that support the global deployment and co-development of recycling solutions, recognizing the value of European expertise and the integration of innovations and practices from international partners.

The winners will be invited to pitch their solution at the final POLREC event, where the public will then vote for the most impactful and creative pitch, which will receive an additional €2,000 prize.

Any company based within the European Union and SMP participating countries and meeting the European Union's definition of an SME is eligible for this call. SMEs that have previously received a POLREC grant may apply, provided they have not already received more than €52,000 in project funding. Companies that have not received a POLREC grant are also eligible. Winners must attend the K trade show to pitch their solution and receive their prize.

For more details on the application process, please consult the “Success Story” Application Guide – POLREC Awards 2025, available on the European Cluster Collaboration Platform. This guide contains all the information you need to apply: templates to use, timeline, eligibility criteria, useful contacts and GDPR provisions.