The Klagenfurt-based company plasticpreneur builds innovative small machines for plastic recycling and thus boosts the circular economy very low-threshold in places where you cannot put a factory, e.g. B. at the foot of Mount Everest.
Plasticpreneur develops, designs and manufactures plastic recycling machines for small users. „Our product range includes everything you need to convert plastic into the circuit “, says Co-Gründer and CTO Florian Mikl. „We have a plastic shredder that is used to shred plastic waste into small flakes. These flakes then come into the injection molding machine, with which small products can be produced in large quantities. And we have an extruder with which you can manufacture large products in small quantities. “
Plastic recycling at the foot of Mount Everest
The Carinthian company has now exported 550 of its machines to over 90 countries around the world. With the „creator sets “ plasticpreneur operates, among other things, the highest plastic recycling plant in the world in the Mount Everest base camp at over 5,000 m above sea level.
Florian Mikl:
At the beginning we couldn't imagine what you could do with our machines. And if you now look at our customer portfolio, schools, universities and makerspaces are represented all over the world – to the base camp on Mount Everest or to refugee camps in Kenya and Uganda.
It started in Uganda
It was also in East Africa where the history of plasticpreneur began: in 2016/17 Sören Lex, co-founder and CEO of the company, and his wife Marcella looked for ways to implement a development aid project during a stay in Uganda. They soon noticed plastic waste and unemployment as major problems in the country. At home in Klagenfurt, the idea of small, simple machines was put into practice, with which plastic can be recycled decentrally.
Upcycling on site
„I am particularly proud that we have created solutions that enable local people to produce something independently and thereby deal with their problems “, also underlines co-founder Raphaela Egger. „A positive example of this is ‚ecobricks ’, an organization from Uganda that has collected and sold garbage on site, and now can transform into valuable products and in turn sell on the market. “
With the approach of scaling plastics processing from an industrial to a small-scale measure, the „creator sets “ from plasticpreneur enable recycling and upcycling projects right on the doorstep, especially in emerging countries. „Plastic is actually an ideal material for the circular economy. It is light, resistant and durable, easy to process and shape and energy efficient recycling “, according to a company press release.
Low-threshold and simple access to plastics processing and recycling also creates access to a ‚new ‘ craft for a wide variety of target groups, possible uses and scenarios, topics, procedures, skills and know-how.
International awards
Plasticpreneur has already received numerous international awards for its innovative access. B. the 1st Place at the Creative Business Cup in Denmark 2022. Klagenfurters are particularly proud that in 2020 they won the worldwide call for innovative ideas and technologies from UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) in the category „Resilient Industries and Infrastructure “.
„Feel well supported by the FFG “
Plastic preneur has been able to take advantage of some FFG grants in recent years, „above allhave contributed to raising awareness of Austrian society “, says Raphaela Egger. For 2024, the company hopes to be successful in calls for the circular economy. „The cooperation with the FFG has always been very positive. We feel very supported by the FFG and very well advised