Münster, Germany [08.04.2025]- The path to a truly sustainable circular economy for plastics and carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP) has officially begun with the launch of the BMBF-funded project “CirProTech” at the Open Hybrid LabFactory (OHLF) in Wolfsburg. This ambitious initiative, supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with €10 million in funding over five years, brings together 11 partners including Tailorlux GmbH to pioneer innovative recycling and detection technologies for the automotive and aerospace industries.
Under the coordination of the Fraunhofer Center for Circular Economy for Mobility (CCEM), the project unites key players including Volkswagen, TU Braunschweig, Fraunhofer IST, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, and leading industrial and technology partners. Their shared mission: to create closed-loop systems for plastic and CFRP components that are ecologically sound, economically viable, and technically scalable.
Tailorlux GmbH plays a crucial role in the “CirProTech” consortium by developing and implementing advanced detection and marking technologies to assure the quality of recyclates. Leveraging chemometric analytics and the integration of chemical markers, Tailorlux aims to establish cross-industry standards for identifying and validating materials in automated recycling systems. The innovation enables the meaningful extension of NIR spectroscopy using visible (VIS) data, even without markers, opening new avenues for detecting critical additives and ensuring precise material characterization.
The kick-off meeting, held in March 2025 at the OHLF campus, gathered over 30 representatives from the participating organizations. Attendees explored the technical infrastructure and engaged in hands-on workshops that mapped out initial demonstrators and requirements for sustainable recycling paths. The next project steps include identifying suitable material sources, developing and evaluating recycling routes, and building a robust technical specification catalog for recycled parts.
A central challenge lies in separating complex composite materials. CirProTech’s innovative solutions aim to recover high-quality recyclates capable of competing with primary raw materials in performance and cost. This transformation will enable industries to significantly reduce raw material consumption and CO₂ emissions, while also unlocking new business opportunities.
In addition to Tailorlux GmbH, the CirProTech project includes:
Volkswagen AG, Fraunhofer IST, Fraunhofer CCEM, Institute of Machine Tools and Production Technology IWF, Institute of Joining and Welding, Technische Universität Braunschweig, RTT System GmbH, Invent GmbH, Fricke und Mallah Microwave Technology GmbH, SBS Sondermaschinen GmbH, POLYTEC Plastics GmbH & Co. KG, DOMO Engineering Plastics Europe S.p.A. Germany
For more details: https:// open-hybrid-labfactory.de/forschung-projekte/forschungscampusprojekte/cirprotech
About Tailorlux: Tailorlux develops and implements industrial marking solutions as a solution provider for product marking. The goal of these solution concepts is to protect and prove the integrity of materials and products. With well-known international customers, Tailorlux GmbH is one of the most important providers of covert markings and spectral sensing.
