Germany-based digital procurement platform Cirplus introduces an AI-driven solution to streamline the sourcing of recycled plastics worldwide, addressing supply shortages and regulatory demands with increased transparency and efficiency.
Cirplus, a Germany-based digital procurement platform specialising in recycled plastics, has launched a groundbreaking AI-powered solution designed to revolutionise the sourcing of recycled materials globally. The new Supply Chain Agent...
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Cirplus AI combines artificial intelligence agents, standardised compliance data, and workflow automation to streamline the procurement process, making it faster, more transparent, and efficient.
Sourcing high-quality recycled plastics has traditionally been a complex task due to the vast variety of polymer types and additive combinations. Cirplus’s AI solution guides procurement professionals through three distinct stages — assist, augment, and automate. Initially, the AI assists by providing tailored material recommendations and accelerating approval cycles. It then augments decision-making by offering comprehensive insights into market trends, pricing, supply, demand, freight rates, and testing data. Ultimately, the platform aims to fully automate procurement activities, from initial enquiry to delivery, ensuring compliance, speed, and efficiency across global supply chains.
Christian Schiller, founder and CEO of Cirplus, emphasised the company’s mission “to close the loop for plastics using digital technologies at scale.” He acknowledged the challenging market conditions for circular plastics but insisted that the new AI solution establishes a foundation for more reliable, scalable supply chains for recycled plastics worldwide, supporting the industry’s transition towards greater use of recyclates in various value chains.
Cirplus’s platform leverages data from over 2,500 material suppliers, tracking more than 230,000 tonnes of recycled plastic across 70 countries monthly. This extensive dataset facilitates highly precise procurement decisions, minimises human error, and allows users to scale operations seamlessly. Notably, the platform incorporates cutting-edge digitisation standards and recyclate procurement criteria based on the European norm EN 18065, including a pioneering Digital Product Passport to certify recycled plastics’ authenticity and compliance.
The relevance of such digital tools is heightened by evolving regulatory landscapes in Europe. The proposed Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), alongside existing directives like the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive, mandate higher incorporation rates of recycled materials into production. As European demand for recyclates is projected to exceed supply by two to three times by 2030, Cirplus AI offers companies a crucial advantage, providing enhanced certainty, transparency, and pricing stability amid an anticipated shortfall.
Cirplus’s venture into AI-enabled procurement complements its growing international ambitions, illustrated by recent developments such as launching a subsidiary in India to bolster regional access to quality recycled plastics and securing significant seven-figure funding rounds from notable industrial and venture capital investors. These strategic moves underpin Cirplus’s goal to build the essential digital infrastructure required for a global shift from virgin to recycled plastics, facilitating trust-based relationships and circularity.
Moreover, Cirplus partnerships, like the collaboration with igus GmbH—a manufacturer of high-performance polymers—exemplify closed-loop recycling in practice. igus’s ‘chainge’ programme, which enables customers to return used energy chains for recycling into new products, highlights the practical benefits and challenges of circular polymers, underscoring the importance of innovative platforms like Cirplus AI to drive such sustainable initiatives further.
In an industry facing pronounced supply-demand imbalances and regulatory pressures, Cirplus’s AI-driven platform represents a significant step forward in digital procurement technology, providing companies worldwide with tools to innovate and scale their circular economy efforts through efficient and transparent access to high-quality recycled plastics.
Source: Noah Wire Services
