European-made recycled plastic: securing a resilient, competitive future for circular plastics
In a position paper from Plastics Recyclers Europe, the association warns that the prompt implementation of robust recycled-content calculation methods for beverage bottles is critical to securing a resilient and competitive circular plastics economy in Europe.
Plastics Recyclers Europe continues, despite PET being the EU’s second-largest recycled polymer, the sector is facing mounting challenges. Depressed prices and rising stockpiles – driven largely by low-cost imports – are threatening the survival of established European recycling facilities at precisely the moment when they are most needed to deliver on the EU’s circularity targets.
The association notes that the forthcoming calculation methods under the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) arrive at a decisive time. Their definition of recycled plastic, Plastics Recyclers Europe argues, will determine whether Europe secures a strong recycling ecosystem or sees it gradually eroded under external market pressures.
By establishing a clear and robust definition of recycled plastic – one that ensures recycled content targets are met primarily through recycling carried out within Europe or under EU-equivalent conditions – the Directive would send an unambiguous signal, Plastics Recyclers Europe says: Europe is committed to protecting its circular plastics industry, its environmental objectives and its strategic economic resilience. In the association’s view, this is far more than a technical adjustment; it provides the legal certainty required to safeguard existing industrial capacity, stimulate innovation and anchor long-term investment in European recycling.
Strengthening “Made in Europe” recycling
Over the past decade, Plastics Recyclers Europe points out, the European plastics recycling sector has invested heavily in high-quality bottle-to-bottle PET recycling infrastructure. These investments are now delivering tangible results. Recent data, cited by the association, show that the EU is equipped to meet recycled content targets with its own capacities – without structural reliance on recycled PET sourced from outside the Union.
Early estimates for 2025 indicate that around 3.3 million tonnes of bottles were placed on the market, while PET recycling capacity increased in parallel to approximately 3.2 million tonnes. For Plastics Recyclers Europe, these figures underline the strength and maturity of Europe’s PET recycling ecosystem, even before accounting for recent upgrades and efficiency gains.
However, the association warns that this progress is increasingly at risk. Over the past three years, around 50 recycling plants have closed, with capacity losses in 2025 nearly tripling compared with 2023. PET alone accounted for 21% of the lost capacity. Plastics Recyclers Europe attributes this wave of closures to mounting competitive pressure on European recyclers, particularly from imports that do not necessarily comply with equivalent environmental and traceability standards.
The financial incentive behind low-cost imports often overlooks long-term sustainability objectives as well as the reality of European operational and administrative costs. Without a robust system of verification, there is no guarantee that imported materials meet the same health, safety and environmental standards as European recyclates, making a level playing field essential.
While lower-priced imports may appear advantageous in the short term, Plastics Recyclers Europe cautions that the economic benefits are not necessarily passed on to consumers. Over time, this dynamic risks weakening local recycling capacity, employment and investment, increasing the Union’s dependence on external sources rather than reinforcing resilient, home-grown circular value chains.
A decisive step for Europe’s industrial and environmental future
From the perspective of Plastics Recyclers Europe, the proposed definition of recycled plastic under the SUPD – included in the Commission’s Winter Package – represents a strategic industrial policy choice at a time of global overcapacities, high energy and labour costs, and intensifying environmental commitments. By anchoring recycled content obligations within European value chains, the definition would strengthen environmental credibility, prevent the diversion of EU-collected waste to lower-standard markets or landfilling, and ensure that the economic benefits of circularity remain within Europe’s industrial base.
Plastics Recyclers Europe therefore calls on EU Member States to support the implementing decision, arguing that it would reinforce Europe’s industrial sovereignty, environmental ambition and commitment to a genuinely circular economy made in Europe, while securing green jobs. The association also stresses that it would help ensure consumer trust in recycled content claims, as European and OECD-equivalent recycling frameworks provide verifiable origin, strict environmental controls and compliance with EU legislation, including food-contact requirements related to separate collection and third-party certification of pre-processing steps.
Failing to implement the definition without delay would undermine efforts to stabilise the recycling sector, erode confidence in long-term investment and risk accelerating deindustrialisation in yet another strategic industry. In the association’s view, prompt action is essential to secure a competitive, resilient and truly circular plastics economy – one that is genuinely “Made in Europe” and built to last.