It all began with an idea from the Rostock-based Bundesliga football club: to be able to carry a piece of the club’s history with you at all times in the form of a season ticket. Thanks to the mediation of our Wismar University of Applied Sciences, this idea became a tangible reality through collaboration with the Institute for Polymer and Production Technologies Wismar (IPT) – an affiliated institute of our UAS – and partners from industry.
The season tickets are made from recycled seat shells from the Ostseestadion. A total of 341 seat shells and 324 backrests that were no longer usable were processed and transformed into new material through a multi-stage procedure. The resulting season tickets consist largely of this recycled material, supplemented by other additives to ensure the required material properties.
IPT Wismar was responsible for the analysis and processing of the plastics used in the project. The aim was to optimise the material properties, which had been altered by use and weathering, in such a way as to enable further industrial processing. Prof. Mathias Wilichowski, who teaches ‘Environmental Process Engineering’ at the Faculty of Engineering and works closely with the affiliated institute, had facilitated the contact and supported the collaboration between the partners involved.
The project demonstrates how end-of-life plastic products can be converted into new applications and highlights the role of research institutions in implementing circular processes.