Packaging materials in the EU: quantities stay significant, plastic grew by 11%

A JRC study published on 6 July 2026 investigated the packaging materials (glass, plastic, metals, paper and cardboard, and composite materials) placed on the market of 19 Member States that represent more than 97% of the EU population, analysing data from 2011 to 2025.

The study found that the total amount of all packaging placed on the market amounts to a striking 98 kg per capita. Food and beverage account for the largest share, covering 97% of the whole packaging material on the market. 

Plastic is the only packaging category showing an upward trend between 2011 and 2025, growing by 11% in absolute terms.

The amount of plastic packaging placed on the market in 2025 amounted to 5.9 million tonnes, corresponding to 14kg per capita across the countries considered. 

Plastic bottles of water and soft drinks are typically made of PET, which is the polymer that accounts for the largest share of consumer plastic packaging. Though there are exceptions: in Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden, the quantity of PET is lower and even second to polypropylene (PP), which is normally used for a wider variety of food and beverage products.

Country trends

The story differs significantly from country to country: the quantities of plastic packaging placed on the market remained relatively stable in Belgium, the Netherlands and France, for instance, whereas countries like Ireland, Romania and Poland saw their consumption of plastic packaging going up over time. In Italy, the use of plastic bottled water is significant, making up for 46% of its total plastic consumption; this percentage goes down to 6% in the case of Sweden. 

Also, per-capita data show ample differences: in 2024, there were 16 kg per person of plastic packaging on the market in Germany, and only half as much in Sweden – 14kg being the average value across the 19 EU countries.