RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

Their core work

Recycling Technologies is a UK-based cleantech SME that develops and commercializes a proprietary chemical recycling process — the WarwickFBR™ fluidized bed reactor — which converts mixed plastic waste into hydrocarbon products (synthetic oils and chemical feedstocks). Unlike mechanical recycling, their technology handles contaminated, multi-layer, and non-sortable plastics that would otherwise go to landfill or incineration. Their work sits at the intersection of waste management and the petrochemical supply chain, targeting industrial-scale deployment of their reactor technology. Both H2020 projects focused on commercializing this core technology and positioning it within the emerging European circular economy agenda for plastics.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both H2020 projects cover essentially the same core technology, but the framing shifted meaningfully over two years. The 2015 project ('Waste to Resource') was inward-looking — a feasibility study to assess whether the WarwickFBR™ technology was commercially viable. By 2017, 'CRNPE' repositioned the same technology as an industry response to Europe's emerging plastic economy agenda, suggesting the company moved from internal validation to external market positioning. Given the short active window (2015–2017) and only two projects, the evolution is narrow but the direction is clear: from technology readiness to market narrative building.

They appear to be scaling from laboratory/pilot-stage IP into industry partnerships and policy-aligned market entry — a profile consistent with a deep-tech SME seeking licensing deals or industrial co-deployment agreements.

How they like to work

Recycling Technologies acted as coordinator in both H2020 projects and worked with just one consortium partner across their entire participation — a strong signal that they prefer to lead and control, rather than join as a subordinate partner. This is typical of IP-holding SMEs that use EU grants to validate their own technology rather than to build broad research networks. Any future collaborator should expect them to drive the technical agenda, not adapt to a shared research roadmap.

Recycling Technologies collaborated with only 1 unique partner across 2 projects, all within a single country (UK). This is one of the smallest networks in the H2020 dataset and reflects the company's self-contained, proprietary-technology model rather than open research collaboration.

What sets them apart

Recycling Technologies holds named proprietary technology (WarwickFBR™) — a fluidized bed reactor specifically designed for the plastic fractions that mechanical recycling cannot handle. This fills a genuine gap: the estimated 30-40% of plastic waste that is currently unrecyclable. For a company or municipality trying to close the loop on plastics, this is a ready-made technical solution rather than a research prototype. Their SME scale means they are accessible for pilot agreements and technology licensing without the friction of working with a large industrial group.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Waste to Resource
  This SME Instrument Phase 1 grant was the company's entry into H2020 and the first public validation of the WarwickFBR™ technology's commercial potential at EU level.
• CRNPE
  The largest grant in their portfolio (EUR 78,727) and the project that explicitly connected their proprietary recycling technology to the EU's New Plastic Economy agenda, showing strategic awareness beyond pure R&D.