Recycled plastic plays a fundamental part in the solutions developed by the PlasticRoad team. Discarded plastic – much of which is currently still processed as waste, incinerated or ends up in a landfill – is fed back into the chain as a circular infrastructure solution in a far higher grade application.
CCL, the smart and sustainable infrastructure solution
WHAT SETS THIS CIRCULAR ROAD APART?
Using recycled plastic
A significantly smaller carbon footprint
According to calculations made by the independent inspection agency Primum and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), PlasticRoad cuts CO₂ emissions by up to 72% compared to conventional paving.
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Lower impact on the surrounding area and the environment
A road built using CCL elements has a substantially lighter impact on the environment and the surrounding area than other solutions, since it requires neither a conventional subbase nor a heavy structure. The lightweight circular infrastructure can be laid directly on a sand bed.
Circular elements
The design of the CCL product line is completely circular, and elements can be replaced more or less directly after reaching the end of their useful service life. Individual elements can be detached and independently recycled as raw material for new elements.
The most circular infrastructure solution
Assessed in the context of a Madaster materials passport, the Global Sustainable Enterprise System and an independent circularity audit by KIWA. We refer to Professor dr. Jacqueline Cramer’s widely-adopted 10R model, which distinguishes different levels of circularity. Circularity is one of the spearheads of our PlasticRoad philosophy.
Our philosophy
CIRCULARITY, IMPACT AND LOWER EMISSIONS.
Make the world’s most sustainable road. This philosophy and ambition drove initiators Simon Jorritsma and Anne Koudstaal to develop the theoretical foundations of the PlasticRoad solutions. A philosophy that to this day guides new initiatives within our enterprise.
Circularity, impact and lower emissions. PlasticRoad aims to achieve the highest possible score on each of these three themes. Merely focussing on one of these themes could negatively affect our success in one or both of the other themes. We believe that cutting back emissions is as least as important as recycling, our consumption of raw materials and power and our impact on society. We refer to a range of gauges – including the Environmental Cost Indicator (ECI), emissions calculations and external audits – to monitor whether PlasticRoad’s CCL products continue to score well on all three themes.
Circularity
THE 10R MODEL
The CCL series has a completely circular design. At the end of a road element’s service life, all raw materials are re-used in new elements – no waste or consumption of new materials. Circularity serves as a guiding principle for every decision we make, at every stage of the process. Our basic premise is to consume as little power and raw materials as possible. We aim to achieve the highest possible circularity score according to the priority ladder and principles formulated by Professor dr. Jacqueline Cramer of the Utrecht Sustainability Institute. How do we implement this model in practice??
1. REFUSE
With their integrated water storage and infiltration system, our CCL elements completely remove or significantly reduce the need for earthworks, storm drains, storm sewers and house connections.*
2. REDUCE
Substantial savings when it comes to raw materials and transport runs, by combining the strongest possible structure with minimal consumption of raw materials.
3. RENEW
With a design based entirely on circular principles, the CCL elements are made from recycled materials.
4. RE-USE
The circular and detachable elements can be easily re-used at a new location – or in a different application altogether.
5. REPAIR
Maintenance and repairs can be handled both on location and at our production facility. The elements are exchangeable, with the only difference being their respective sizes.
6. REFURBISH
Maintenance and repairs can be handled both on location and at our production facility. The elements are exchangeable, with the only difference being their respective sizes.
7. REMANUFACTURE
Every part of the products in the CCL series is detachable. This means that individual elements can be easily replaced – while the rest of the road remains intact.
8. REPURPOSE
As a rule, we strive to avoid recycling in other applications, by feeding all parts back into the CCL system at the end of their useful service life.
9. RECYCLE
Recycled plastic waste is given a higher-grade application. Plastic remains in the chain, without going to waste as a valuable raw material or putting further pressure on the environment.
10. RECOVER
We strive to avoid this, since it wastes otherwise valuable raw materials. We save household plastic waste from incineration, recycling it as material for a sustainable application with a 50-year service life.
*depending on which CCL variant you choose
Emissions
OUR AMBITION? ZERO EMISSIONS
CO2, nitrogen and particulates: we want to bring these emissions – generated during the manufacture, transport, processing and decommissioning of our CCL elements – down to zero. And while this may sound ambitious, this target is nevertheless quite realistic. As it stands, our CCL elements already reduce emissions by up to 72% compared to conventional construction solutions. We ultimately want to bring emissions associated with the use of CCL elements all the way down to zero, while achieving further reductions elsewhere in the chain.
Impact
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
How can PlasticRoad’s solutions benefit our society? How could our CCL products help to solve specific modern-day challenges? They actually impact a range of different areas. They can give plastic waste a new lease on life, help cities to become more climate-adaptive and significantly reduce emissions, waste and the need for earthworks and transport during construction. PlasticRoad’s products can make a significant contribution when it comes to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
11. SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
Installing the lightweight, hard-wearing elements requires far less heavy machinery and fewer transport runs than traditional road construction.
12. RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
The products in the CCL series are fully circular. Each component is fully detachable and recyclable. And the road’s light weight removes the need for a subbase in its entirety, as well as a large share of the sand bed.
13. RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE
The CCL solutions reduce the risk of subsidence in areas with a soft soil – a common problem in many parts of the Netherlands. The road buffers excess water, which then gradually infiltrates into the subsoil: a climate-proof solution for flooding and drought caused by extreme weather conditions. It directly contributes to the Paris climate targets: reducing CO2 emissions by up to 72%.
15. LIFE ON THE LAND
The underground cavities in the CCL elements contribute to a better, more natural water cycle. With as an added bonus: healthier local groundwater levels during dry spells.
Certificates
We regularly work together with other organisations for an independent assessment – via third-party validation – of the sustainable components of our product. This has yielded a number of sustainability certificates: