![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.theparliamentmagazine.eu\/siteimg\/news-main\/ugc-1\/fullnews\/news\/24915\/24653_original.jpg\")
Competitiveness is emerging as the defining challenge of the current EU mandate. How can policymakers bolster Europe\u2019s economic and industrial strength while advancing sustainability and circularity? This pressing question is central to numerous sectors, but none more so than plastics and plastic recycling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plastics are indispensable to the European economy, with applications ranging from food preservation to automotive manufacturing. Yet their environmental impact is undeniable. Transitioning to a circular plastics sector is critical to Europe\u2019s circularity agenda. While Europe has been a global leader in plastics recycling, with a recycled content rate twice the global average, recent data indicates progress is stalling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This challenge was the focus of a high-level event at the European Parliament, hosted by MEP Biljana Borzan. The gathering brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and Commission officials to explore ways to safeguard the plastics and recycling industries while fostering innovation to reduce emissions and waste. \u201cEuropean leadership on circularity is not just a matter of environmental stewardship \u2013 but one of economic necessity,\u201d MEP Borzan emphasised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo remain competitive, without relying heavily on conventional plastics, we must embrace innovation, invest in alternatives, and make sustainability the core of our industrial strategy. Europe can and must lead the way to developing biobased and biodegradable materials in our plastics, in our re-use systems and fostering a culture of circularity. This transformation is not about rejecting plastics outright, but what about finding smarter, more sustainable solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Europe\u2019s plastics sector at a crossroads <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIndustry experts outlined the growing threats to Europe\u2019s plastics and plastics recycling industries. Sophie Sicard-Lemaire, Deputy Director for Sustainable Development at Paprec, painted a sobering picture of the current landscape. While Europe leads globally in recycled content and boasts a pioneering regulatory framework, momentum is waning and the European industry is facing \u201chuge\u201d competition from both virgin and recycled plastics imported from overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The European plastics industry has, she said, been the global \u201cfrontrunner\u201d on sustainable practices, and the level of recycled content in European plastic had reached 14% – twice the global average. \u201cThis is an achievement, we have to congratulate ourselves,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it is still only at 14% – there is a long way to go for full plastic circularity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She explained that until recently Europe had witnessed \u201ca very impressive collective momentum on developing circularity for plastics,\u201d thanks to initiatives like the Circular Plastics Alliance, a voluntary commitment of the industry. \u201cThere was a massive development of recycling infrastructure in Europe. In five years we doubled the recycling capacity of Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in recent years, she added, \u201cwe are losing this momentum\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cDemand is decreasing. Investment is decreasing. Imports are increasing. We are facing a huge competition both from virgin and recycled plastics imported into Europe. And investment in infrastructure is slowing. So there are a lot of a lot of challenges ahead.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis sentiment was echoed by Tony Nawar, Vice President, Sustainability, Strategy, and Innovation at Berry, who highlighted the economic pressures on recyclers. \u201cIt\u2019s an extremely tough time for recyclers,\u201d he said, noting that a number of recyclers in the EU have \u201cgone out of business\u201d. Depressed prices for virgin materials, particularly from producers from the Asia-Pacific and the US, who benefit from lower energy costs, have made it increasingly difficult for European producers to compete. \u201cTime is pressing for us to address the industrial challenge that we have,\u201d he said, expressing his hopes that the proposed Circular Economy Act would address some of these concerns and take action to level the playing field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nawar added that the EU\u2019s industry was ready to innovate to increase sustainability, pointing out that Europe had invented plastics and \u201cled the invention of this material that basically was a revolution\u201d. \u201cWe are innovating. But the industry as a whole is at risk from imports, and collectively from the inflationary energy environment and macroeconomic conditions. That needs to change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>MEP Borzan said that maintaining Europe\u2019s global leadership on sustainability will require two things \u2013 innovation, and genuine partnership between policymakers and industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe stand at the forefront of the global movement towards a circular economy \u2013 but our leadership is reflected in our ability to implement it,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we are to succeed, the relationship between the plastics industry and policymakers must be one of genuine partnership. We need clear consistent and efficient regulations that give businesses the confidence to invest in sustainable practices, and that that puts public good at the heart. This is not about compromise, this is about alignment with a shared vision of the Europe that thrives without costing the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What should that framework look like? Pieter Smeets, Sustainability manager at INEOS Inovyn, agreed said it must involve an element of \u201ccarrot and stick\u201d, including clear targets, which he said are essential to incentivise investment in infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you look at plastic recycling, mechanical recycling is great, and it has the lowest impact. But not all applications can be mechanically recycled. We alo need additional technologies to do advanced recycling, chemical recycling, pyrolysis and all these all these kind of things. Unfortunately, these are a lot more expensive than virgin polymers. And so strong good targets will be critical to create the market, and to make sure that there’s uptake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut at the same time we need carrots, because the industry will need to make big investments. And at moment, the competitive situation in Europe is very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C\u00e9line Domecq, the Director of Public Affairs and Head of Office at Volvo Cars EU, echoed the call for clear mandatory targets \u2013 but insisted that if Europe is to remain competitive, these targets must be introduced in a \u201cpragmatic\u201d way. \u201cSetting mandatory targets for recycled content in plastics is something that you need because it creates certainty for the plastic industry, for the recyclers. They know there will be a market so they will invest,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we need to be pragmatic. What we’re asking for is something which is realistic and feasible,\u201d she added, noting that targets should be \u201cphased in\u201d, while Europe continues to build its recycling infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The panel all also agreed that it was essential to protect the European industry from being undercut by cheaper, and potentially less sustainable, plastic imports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe cannot decarbonize or in the case of plastics, de-fossilise, by exporting emissions, exporting polluting products, exporting jobs. Because A, we don’t do the planet any favours. And B, we impoverish ourselves. We hit hard our most vulnerable population, our most vulnerable regions,\u201d said Stefano Soros, the Head of Unit for Net Zero Industries, Sustainable and Circular Products at DG GROW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that while it is vital to \u201chave a sound, robust regulatory framework\u201d, it was equally important to ensure it was enforced. \u201cMarket surveillance is key. We cannot draw and implement rules for sustainability that we apply only to our businesses, whereas those outside Europe get a pass. It’s uninteresting, it\u2019s not sexy, it’s expensive, time consuming, but it’s crucial.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nSmeets agreed it was vital to find a way to enforce those targets also for imports. \u201cOtherwise, if you can import a car without recycled content, then you don’t only hurt the automotive industry, but also the plastic industry.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the EU grapples with the challenge of balancing economic competitiveness with sustainability, the plastics sector finds itself at a pivotal moment. Despite being a global leader in recycling, progress on circularity is faltering. We organised an event in the European Parliament to explore the urgent need for innovation, regulatory clarity, and investment to boost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":156686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Event in the European Parliament to explore the urgent need for innovation, regulatory clarity, and investment to boost plastic recycling","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572,17143],"tags":[22872,11270,5838,17202,10416,11966,10453,5528],"supplier":[17141,17815,22750,4514,5585,308,25530,376],"class_list":["post-156669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bio-based","category-recycling","tag-advancedrecycling","tag-biodegradability","tag-bioeconomy","tag-chemicalrecycling","tag-circulareconomy","tag-plastics","tag-recycling","tag-sustainability","supplier-berry-global-group-inc","supplier-circular-plastics-alliance-cpa","supplier-dg-grow-european-cluster-collaboration-platform","supplier-european-parliament","supplier-european-union","supplier-ineos-group-limited","supplier-paprec-group","supplier-volvo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156669"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=156669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
This sentiment was echoed by Tony Nawar, Vice President, Sustainability, Strategy, and Innovation at Berry, who highlighted the economic pressures on recyclers. \u201cIt\u2019s an extremely tough time for recyclers,\u201d he said, noting that a number of recyclers in the EU have \u201cgone out of business\u201d. Depressed prices for virgin materials, particularly from producers from the Asia-Pacific and the US, who benefit from lower energy costs, have made it increasingly difficult for European producers to compete. \u201cTime is pressing for us to address the industrial challenge that we have,\u201d he said, expressing his hopes that the proposed Circular Economy Act would address some of these concerns and take action to level the playing field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nawar added that the EU\u2019s industry was ready to innovate to increase sustainability, pointing out that Europe had invented plastics and \u201cled the invention of this material that basically was a revolution\u201d. \u201cWe are innovating. But the industry as a whole is at risk from imports, and collectively from the inflationary energy environment and macroeconomic conditions. That needs to change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>MEP Borzan said that maintaining Europe\u2019s global leadership on sustainability will require two things \u2013 innovation, and genuine partnership between policymakers and industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe stand at the forefront of the global movement towards a circular economy \u2013 but our leadership is reflected in our ability to implement it,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we are to succeed, the relationship between the plastics industry and policymakers must be one of genuine partnership. We need clear consistent and efficient regulations that give businesses the confidence to invest in sustainable practices, and that that puts public good at the heart. This is not about compromise, this is about alignment with a shared vision of the Europe that thrives without costing the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What should that framework look like? Pieter Smeets, Sustainability manager at INEOS Inovyn, agreed said it must involve an element of \u201ccarrot and stick\u201d, including clear targets, which he said are essential to incentivise investment in infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen you look at plastic recycling, mechanical recycling is great, and it has the lowest impact. But not all applications can be mechanically recycled. We alo need additional technologies to do advanced recycling, chemical recycling, pyrolysis and all these all these kind of things. Unfortunately, these are a lot more expensive than virgin polymers. And so strong good targets will be critical to create the market, and to make sure that there’s uptake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut at the same time we need carrots, because the industry will need to make big investments. And at moment, the competitive situation in Europe is very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n C\u00e9line Domecq, the Director of Public Affairs and Head of Office at Volvo Cars EU, echoed the call for clear mandatory targets \u2013 but insisted that if Europe is to remain competitive, these targets must be introduced in a \u201cpragmatic\u201d way. \u201cSetting mandatory targets for recycled content in plastics is something that you need because it creates certainty for the plastic industry, for the recyclers. They know there will be a market so they will invest,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we need to be pragmatic. What we’re asking for is something which is realistic and feasible,\u201d she added, noting that targets should be \u201cphased in\u201d, while Europe continues to build its recycling infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The panel all also agreed that it was essential to protect the European industry from being undercut by cheaper, and potentially less sustainable, plastic imports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe cannot decarbonize or in the case of plastics, de-fossilise, by exporting emissions, exporting polluting products, exporting jobs. Because A, we don’t do the planet any favours. And B, we impoverish ourselves. We hit hard our most vulnerable population, our most vulnerable regions,\u201d said Stefano Soros, the Head of Unit for Net Zero Industries, Sustainable and Circular Products at DG GROW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that while it is vital to \u201chave a sound, robust regulatory framework\u201d, it was equally important to ensure it was enforced. \u201cMarket surveillance is key. We cannot draw and implement rules for sustainability that we apply only to our businesses, whereas those outside Europe get a pass. It’s uninteresting, it\u2019s not sexy, it’s expensive, time consuming, but it’s crucial.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Smeets agreed it was vital to find a way to enforce those targets also for imports. \u201cOtherwise, if you can import a car without recycled content, then you don’t only hurt the automotive industry, but also the plastic industry.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As the EU grapples with the challenge of balancing economic competitiveness with sustainability, the plastics sector finds itself at a pivotal moment. Despite being a global leader in recycling, progress on circularity is faltering. We organised an event in the European Parliament to explore the urgent need for innovation, regulatory clarity, and investment to boost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":156686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Event in the European Parliament to explore the urgent need for innovation, regulatory clarity, and investment to boost plastic recycling","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572,17143],"tags":[22872,11270,5838,17202,10416,11966,10453,5528],"supplier":[17141,17815,22750,4514,5585,308,25530,376],"class_list":["post-156669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bio-based","category-recycling","tag-advancedrecycling","tag-biodegradability","tag-bioeconomy","tag-chemicalrecycling","tag-circulareconomy","tag-plastics","tag-recycling","tag-sustainability","supplier-berry-global-group-inc","supplier-circular-plastics-alliance-cpa","supplier-dg-grow-european-cluster-collaboration-platform","supplier-european-parliament","supplier-european-union","supplier-ineos-group-limited","supplier-paprec-group","supplier-volvo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156669"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=156669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}