Sense2Sort – From Vision to Reality

The idea behind Sense4Life began in 2017, when I first came into contact with a supplier developing advanced sensor technologies originally intended for the medical industry. Their work with different electromagnetic wavelengths immediately sparked an idea: this technology could open entirely new possibilities for plastic recycling, especially in areas where conventional sorting systems were reaching their limits.

At the time, recycling companies across Europe were searching for solutions to better identify and separate difficult plastic fractions, particularly black plastics. Various market leaders introduced approaches based on MWIR technologies and multi-sensor sorting systems, confirming that innovation in this field was urgently needed.

Over the following years, the concept matured. Through our involvement in another European project, we established contact with PNO Group, who recognized the potential of the idea and supported us in transforming it into a proposal for the LIFE Programme in 2024.

The proposal was successfully awarded funding, turning a long-standing vision into reality. Today, within Sense4Life, we are proud to work alongside four dedicated industrial partners from the recycling, automotive, and plastics industries across Europe, developing breakthrough sensor-based sorting technologies that can significantly improve plastic recycling efficiency and circularity.

What started as a technical idea has now become a collaborative European innovation project with the potential to reshape the future of plastic recycling.

by Eric van Looy