EuRIC's Plastics Recycling Branch (EPRB) has released a roadmap outlining the future of the European plastics recycling sector, highlighting its struggles with extremely low product demand and unfair competition from countries that undermine circularity in Europe.

Source: RecyclingToday

The roadmap indicates that while the capacity for plastic recycling in Europe has surged, increasing over 30 percent in the past three years, the growth rate has slowed to just 6 percent in 2023 due to significant market disruptions and price volatility.

Additionally, it points out that the demand for recycled plastics in Europe remains weak, as virgin plastics are often cheaper and imports from non-EU countries continue to rise.

Low demand for recycled plastics and cheap imports from third countries with low environmental and safety standards threaten the growth and competitiveness of Europe's plastic recycling industry. To protect it, we need decisive and bold police measures that will genuinely support one of Europe's key industries in the transition to a circular and carbon-neutral economy.

EPRB has identified five key measures aimed at bolstering one of Europe’s vital industries as it shifts towards a circular and carbon-neutral economy:

• Rapid implementation of practical recycled content targets for plastics is essential to stimulate demand for recycled materials and attract investments to enhance recycling capacity. In light of increasing imports from outside Europe, the group emphasizes the need for robust mechanisms to verify and trace recycled polymers, along with the application of EU-equivalent regulations.
• To bridge the price gap between virgin and recycled plastics, incentives—whether market-based or tax-related—are necessary. This includes proposing lower value-added tax rates for products made from recycled materials and adjusting extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees through eco-modulation.
• Establishing mandatory collection targets and design-for-recycling standards is vital to improve both the quantity and quality of recycling inputs, which are essential for producing high-quality recycled materials. According to EPRB, "enhancing recyclability is crucial for effective recycling and for preserving the value of plastic materials within the economy."
• It is imperative to create harmonized EU End-of-Waste (EoW) criteria for plastics to facilitate the reintroduction of high-quality recycled products into new items. EPRB suggests that this strategy could level the playing field, removing market barriers and building trust in recycled materials. Furthermore, it calls on the EU to promote regional plastics circularity globally by advocating for the adoption of binding mandatory recycled content measures in the negotiations regarding the international treaty on plastic pollution.
• Striking the right balance between precautionary measures and responsible risk management is vital to ensure ongoing plastic recycling in Europe. The roadmap states, "There is a tendency at the EU level to reduce concentration limits for numerous substances in products to zero or below detection limits, regardless of their intended use and exposure levels. However, this hazard-based approach may threaten the circular economy, resulting in material losses within the recycling loop, including downcycling, incineration, or landfilling of non-recyclable fractions, and jeopardizing the economic sustainability of the recycling process."