To overcome these limitations, Skala and colleagues investigated ball mill grinding (BMG) as an operationally simple mechanochemical route for the aminolysis of polyester materials. The mechanochemical approach circumvents key drawbacks of conventional ester aminolysis and demonstrates the utility of BMG mechanochemistry for sustainable polymer recycling. Reading tip: Bio-based coatingsThe EC Tech Report “”Bio-based Coatings“” is a hand-picked compilation of all the key aspects concerning bio-based coatings, offering the latest technical developments. Investigation of structure-property relationships revealed a broad range of accessible mechanical properties, with the resulting materials being significantly softer than the original polyester film packaging. The approach therefore combines sustainable depolymerisation of polyester waste with the synthesis of bio-based, dynamic and degradable photopolymer networks, opening up potential applications in adaptable coatings, adhesives and functional materials derived from plastic waste streams.