Recycled plastics : A coffee machine built on post-consumer waste takes home the PRSE Award

When De' Longhi set out to develop its latest espresso machine, the Eletta Ultra, the brief went beyond performance and aesthetics. The Treviso-based multinational — a global leader in small domestic appliances — sought to embed genuine environmental responsibility into the product's physical make-up. The result, developed in close partnership with Sirmax Group, incorporates up to 70% recycled plastic in its aesthetic components, drawn from post-consumer household waste within the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) stream.

The machine was recognised for this achievement at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) trade fair in Amsterdam on 6 May 2026, winning the PRSE Award in the Automotive, Electrical or Electronic category, where it had been shortlisted as one of five finalists for Product of the Year.

The material innovation at the core of the Eletta Ultra is Green Isoter, a plastic compound developed by Sirmax comprising 70% recycled ABS plastic sourced from end-of-life electronic components. This closed-loop approach — taking discarded electronics and returning their raw materials to productive use in new consumer goods — is precisely the kind of application the waste management sector has long advocated for.

Sirmax, a European leader in thermoplastic granule manufacturing, developed Green Isoter specifically to meet De' Longhi's exacting requirements: compatibility with both matt and glossy surface finishes, visual consistency with other materials already used across the product range, and long-term stability to ensure reliable moulding parameters. Beyond the aesthetic components, Sirmax also supplied structural parts with high mechanical and thermal resistance, manufactured using recycled materials in varying percentages and polymer resins.

Massimo Pavin, President and CEO of Sirmax Group, sees the award as validation of a broader industrial strategy: "The recognition awarded to Eletta Ultra by one of Europe's leading plastics and rubber trade fairs confirms the value of our offering on an international level. Behind this prestigious achievement lie the commitment and investments made by our Group in bespoke design in line with the principles of the Circular Economy, which today enable us to supply innovative, high-performance and sustainable materials for the most demanding projects, as in the case of Eletta Ultra for De' Longhi. This result is a reward for the expertise we have developed over the years, which drives us to focus with conviction on innovation and sustainability for the future as well."

For De' Longhi, incorporating post-consumer recycled content into a premium product presented both a technical and an aesthetic challenge — one the partnership with Sirmax proved well-placed to meet. Guido Quaratesi, R&D Project Leader at De' Longhi Group, explains: "Eletta Ultra is defined by its superior performance and sophisticated aesthetic. To elevate this high-end experience, we embraced the opportunity to incorporate high percentages of post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) into the visible design. We thank Sirmax for their invaluable partnership; their advanced resin calibration ensured that our commitment to the planet is as visible and refined as the machine itself."

For the waste management sector, the Eletta Ultra story offers a compelling case study. It demonstrates that post-consumer waste — specifically from end-of-life electronics — can be processed into materials sophisticated enough for use in high-end consumer goods, without compromising on finish or structural integrity. The PRSE Award lends further credibility to this proposition, signalling that the industry's capacity to transform recovered waste into genuinely competitive raw materials is gaining mainstream recognition.