Weekly

‘Uncontrolled’ imports ‘suffocating’ EU plastics recycling


By Will Hatchett, 29 October 2024


Lack of demand for recycled material, reduced investments in domestic recycling and an increase in unverified imports are threatening the EU’s plastics recycling sector, according to Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE).

Ton Emans, PRE president, said “suffocating” conditions threaten a continuation of last year’s company closures and that the downturn will continue unless the situation is addressed urgently.

He warned that increasing imports of polymers from outside the EU had questionable claims of recycled content, with effective verification and traceability measures not in place.

He said: “This situation undermines the progress and investments made to improve recycling processes. Many recyclers are struggling to survive in a market flooded with uncontrolled imports that fall short of EU requirements.”

He said that achieving EU recycling targets under the Circular Economy Act and the Clean Industrial Deal is currently unrealistic because capacities would need to at least double by 2030.

Emans called for restricted market entry for imports that fail to meet the EU’s environmental requirements, as recommended in a report on competitiveness authored by former Italian prime minister Mario Draghi.

He added: “Creating a level playing field will be key to making the green transition sustainable and safeguarding the competitiveness of the EU’s industry.

“Without these measures, the future of European plastic recycling appears uncertain – a situation that we cannot afford for the sake of competitiveness and a sustainable future.”

The European plastic recycling industry has a €10.4bn (£8.6bn) turnover, 12.5 million tonnes of installed recycling capacity, around 850 recycling facilities and more than 30,000 employees.

Source: Packagingnews