Jan Jaap Folmer

CEO and co-founder @ UPPACT | the UnWaste Company, Closing the Loop on Plastic Waste, Circular Economy

Netherlands

About

Explorer. Impact driven & circular entrepreneur. We RE-Plastic. Developing projects to close the plastic waste loop regionally. Creating circular ecosystems. Connecting people. Optimist.

Experience

  • CEO and co-founder at UPPACT B.V.
    Dec 2021 - Present · 4 yrs 7 mos

    UPPACT | the Un-Waste Company - is an Australian-Dutch collaboration with the aim to create circular ecosystems around sustainable processing of difficult to recycle streams of (mixed) plastic and textile waste into recyclable new materials and products. UPPACT has validated the Plastech mixer-melter technology and tested various waste waste streams in its pilot facility in de Eemshaven.In 2024 we started to prepare the set up of a DEMO-factory in the Chemport Innovation Center in Farmsum/Delfzijl with a capacity of 4000 ton/year. UPPACT will start up operations in the DEMO factory in the 2nd half of 2025. UPPACT will then further scale up to it's full Flagship Factory (and replicate in other regions across Europe). UPPACT focuses on Low Value Mixed Plastics and Textile waste streams only. Streams nowadays being burnt or ending up in the environment. We source locally, manufacture locally and sell locally to close the loop. By offering end-of-use and end-of-life solutions UPPACT ensure the products we make will not need to become waste again. By applying circular business models we help the transition to the much needed circular economy.

  • Chief Upp! & Founder at Upp! UpCycling Plastic bv
    Jan 2017 - Present · 9 yrs 6 mos

    Upp! We RE-Plastic. Upp! creates impact & inspiration to close the plastic waste circle locally in a sustainable and circular way. UPP! is active in SE Asia and headquartered in the Netherlands. Upp! designs and builds Upp! Circular Plastic Factories processing difficult to recycle mixed plastic waste streams into durable and recyclable building materials. Upp! supports municipalities, clean-up organizations, waste management & recycling companies and corporates to close the loop locally and in a circular way by using local plastic waste to make building materials for the local market. Together we are your plastic waste circular. At Upp! we RE-Plastic. As shareholder in @Uppact we have set up a test & demo factory in the Eemshaven (Groningen, the Netherlands) and the first DEMO factory with Plastech Mixer-Melter technology in Delfzijl. Capacity is 4000 tons/annum. UPPACT will increase capacity by building full scale factories to process unrecyclable plastic and textile waste into building materials for the regional markets. Upp! also is building the first Upp! Circular Plastic factory in SE Asia with PT.Sumber Djaja Perkasa in Sidoarjo (East-Java, Indonesia). It should be the first of many factories. Currently UPP! Works on its next project in Vietnam too.

  • Holland Circular Hotspot (5 yrs 4 mos)
    • Member Program Committee
      Nov 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 8 mos

    • Honorary Special Envoy Holland Circular Hotspot
      Mar 2021 - Present · 5 yrs 4 mos

      Representing the Foundation Holland Circular Hotspot and facilitating the transition to a circular Economy at international level.

  • Program Manager Rivers a.i. at The Ocean Cleanup
    Mar 2021 - Sep 2021 · 7 mos

  • Commercial Director at Lankhorst Engineered Products bv
    May 2014 - Jan 2017 · 2 yrs 9 mos

    www.lankhorst-ep.com