RETRACKING is an Interreg V-A Italia-Slovenia programme project, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The overall objective of RETRACKING is to create a strong foundation within the programme region to support the transition from linear production and usage of fibre reinforced composite to a circular, by establishing a systematic and economically feasible approach  

During the last five decades, fibre reinforced composites (FRC) have found a vast area of application in a number of industrial sectors producing products used in sea, air and road transport, sport and toys, construction etc. Though these products are durable, with extended life cycles, they are gradually entering waste streams, requiring a more systematic mode of collection and management.

The project will determine the quantity and quality of FRC waste in line with the main sources, where the waste is being accumulated, whether it be in industry, as production residues or in municipalities as discarded consumer wastes.

The objective of the project is to determine if there are satisfactory solutions available to manage these emerging waste streams in a circular way. This means extracting valuable resources from waste and retaining materials of high quality within the European economy, exploiting newly available digital technologies for tracking with possibilities to implement reverse logistics and combine them with technologies offering improved quality of recycled materials, which meet the requirement for input into new products.

RETRACKING supports SME innovation and collaboration in the green economy sectors. The combination of new technologies will serve as a recognisable good practice, which will promote communication and awareness raising for sustainable resource and waste management.

The project will determine a competitive and legislatively compliant model for FRC waste management including traceability of new products produced from recycled FRC while generating a wide access to awareness raising information for the general public and a communication channel for economic stakeholders within the FRC value chain.

As communication links project objectives with activities and work packages, communication is a strategic tool that is considered vital for the implementation and the success of a project. That is why it calls for cooperation and coordination within the project partnership.