“Now more than ever, decisive action is essential,” said Ton Emans, President at Plastics Recyclers Europe. “We urge EU policymakers to take a fast and strong political stance, introducing effective import controls and enforcing existing legislation, including the restriction of importing materials which do not meet equivalent EU sustainability and safety standards. These measures are crucial for the plastic recycling industry’s survival, which has already invested 5 billion euros between 2020 and 2023 just to meet mandatory targets.”
Besides the critical market trends, European recyclers are grappling with high energy costs and soaring input waste costs, which have increased operational expenses over the last few years. Meanwhile, they are being undercut by cheaper imported materials, which often come with fraudulent claims due to the lack of transparency in the origin of materials.
