Plastics Europe: ‘Raise recycled content targets’

Europe’s plastics industry is at a crossroads and its future hinges on accelerating the shift toward circularity, warned Plastics Europe at the K2025 trade show in Dusseldorf, where it presented its Plastics Fast Facts 2025 report.

According to the association, Europe’s global share in plastics production has plummeted from 22% in 2006 to just 12% in 2024, with circular plastics production stagnating at 15% of total output. ‘Without urgent action, Europe will lose a vital manufacturing asset, its strategic autonomy and its circular transition,’ says Plastics Europe md Virginia Janssens on sustainableplastics.com.

Circular growth slows 

The report highlights that, while fossil-based plastics still dominate, circular materials are gaining traction. Mechanically recycled plastics rose 12.7% year-on-year, reaching 41 million tonnes globally. However, Europe’s progress is slowing, driven more by declining fossil-based output than by true circular growth.

Asia leads

Asia continues to dominate global plastics production with a 55% market share, while Europe faces plant closures and job losses. Some 3 000 companies have gone out of business since 2022 with 35 000 jobs lost.

Cry for help

Plastics Europe is urging the EU to act decisively: reinvest carbon revenues into circular innovation, strengthen import rules to ensure sustainability standards, raise recycled-content targets and provide fiscal incentives for circular materials.

Competitive sector needed 

According to Janssens, maintaining regional polymer production is essential to Europe’s green transition. ‘Only a competitive European plastics sector today will unlock the investments required for our circular economy of tomorrow,’ she argues.