EuRIC plastics recyclers publish roadmap for industry competitiveness and innovation

EuRIC’s (European Recycling Industries' Confederation) Plastics Recycling Branch has published a roadmap on the future of the European plastics recycling industry.

The roadmap on the future of European plastics recycling industry.

As the EU will adopt the new restrictions on plastic waste exports brought by the Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR), it is crucial to have a well-functioning single market for recycled plastics in the EU.

“To protect it (the Europe’s plastic recycling industry), 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,” said Julia Ettinger, EURIC’s Secretary General.

In the roadmap, the branch advocates for a swift implementation of mandatory recycled content targets for plastics to stimulate demand and encourage investments that will scale up recycling capacities across Europe, and for incentives, either tax-based or market-based, to bridge the price gap between virgin and recycled plastics.

To deliver high-quality recycled materials, it is important to establish mandatory collection targets and recyclability criteria to enhance the quantity and quality of inputs to recycling processes.

Moreover, striking the right balance between precautionary measures and responsible risk management is critical for circular economy, meaning that recycling activities could stop if disproportionate threshold values are set without a harmonized analytical method available at industrial scale to demonstrate compliance.