Last year was pretty disastrous for the plastics recycling industry in many parts of the world. The industry in Europe, in particular, continues to struggle. What’s going on?
In the latest Sustainable Plastics Live, Karen Laird, editor for Sustainable Plastics, and Beatriz Santos, associate editor for SP, talk about the conditions affecting European plastics recyclers and what needs to change in 2025 and the coming years to alleviate pressure.
“By 2023, demand for recyclates took a nosedive because virgin plastic prices dropped below recycled material prices. That pushed recycled resin prices down to levels that just weren’t sustainable. Add in skyrocketing energy and labour costs, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster,” Laird said.
There are, nonetheless, recycled content targets to bet met already in 2025 — the industry needs support. Santos discussed some of the ‘patch up’ measures being considered by national governments to buy recyclers time until demand is expected to pick up again in 2027 or 2028.
The livestream then turned to discussion of the Global Plastics Treaty. After the INC-5 ended without agreement, Laird and Santos argued the UN should abandon consensus and turn to majority voting as a decision process for the final text. They also discussed the role of industry lobbying during negotiations.