European plastics producers call for mandatory EU recycled content target

PlasticsEurope endorses the objective of preventing and reducing excessive packaging and packaging waste and welcomes the revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD).

European plastics producers also support the European Commission’s proposal for a mandatory EU recycled content target for plastics packaging. The industry is now calling for a target of 30 per cent for plastics packaging by 2030.

PlasticsEurope members are already working towards this target by investing in increased high-quality supply of recycled plastics and leading-edge technology solutions. Ramping up chemical recycling is essential to achieve such a mandatory target. For example, our members’ planned investments in this vital technology and infrastructure range from €2.6bn by 2025 to €7.2bn by 2030 in Europe.

Dr Markus Steilemann, President of PlasticsEurope and CEO of Covestro, said: “The world must embrace the circular economy concept as the key to climate neutrality, resource conservation and environmental protection. The call for a regulated recycled content target for plastics packaging in the EU demonstrates our commitment to accelerate the transformation to a circular economy, helping implement the EU Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan.”

To successfully meet this target, new systems thinking, mindsets and behavioural changes, higher performing products, eco-design innovation and new infrastructure are all necessary. The industry must also ensure recycled content is derived from all waste materials through a technology-neutral approach that includes both mechanical and chemical recycling, with a credible mass balance framework.

Virginia Janssens, Managing Director of PlasticsEurope, added: “We need a harmonised EU policy framework that provides certainty and incentivises further investment in collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure and technologies, including chemical recycling. We must harness the power of the single market. However, systemic change requires concerted collaboration. It is only by working together with the EU institutions and the value chain that we can deliver on this target. With the right enabling conditions in place this will be a very different industry 10 years from now.”