28 plastic supply chain leaders sound the alarm: without immediate action, farewell to packaging sustainability targets
The European plastic packaging circular economy is experiencing an unprecedented crisis. By the end of 2025, Europe will lose recycling plants equivalent to almost one million tonnes of recycling capacity - a dramatic setback for packaging circularity objectives.
The figures speak clearly: in 2023, European plastics production collapsed by 8.3%, whilst the global market share has halved from 22% in 2006 to the current 12%. This scenario not only threatens industrial competitiveness, but seriously compromises Europe's ability to achieve circular economy targets for packaging.
Six recommendations to save recycling
In a joint letter to EU decision-makers, 28 supply chain actors propose concrete strategies to protect European recycling infrastructure from low-cost imports and unsustainable energy costs:
- Mirror measures on imported materials to block non-compliant virgin and recycled plastics
- Strengthened customs controls against the influx of non-compliant packaging
- Targeted investments in infrastructure for packaging collection, sorting and recycling
- Eco-modulated EPR fees that reward recyclability and recycled content in packaging
- Fiscal incentives to support demand for circular packaging
- Regulatory harmonisation between member states to avoid fragmentation
The impact on sustainable packaging
The crisis directly strikes the heart of the packaging circular economy. Decades of investment in sustainable packaging innovation risk dissolving, along with thousands of green jobs linked to recycling and the transformation of circular materials.
According to Plastics Recyclers Europe, an organisation representing European plastics recyclers who transform plastic waste into materials destined for the production of new articles, without immediate intervention, Europe could irreversibly lose leadership in the transition towards circular packaging, compromising the ambitious environmental and sustainability targets of the Green Deal.
