Early progress on SUP collection targets
According to the report, ten Member States have already achieved the 2025 SUP collection targets for beverage bottles, set at 77%. These include Belgium, Denmark and Germany. Six countries—Estonia, Poland, Finland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden—have also reached the 2030 target of 90%. Across the EU, 71% of SUP beverage bottles were separately collected in 2022. Countries with higher collection rates typically operate deposit and refund systems.
Consumption of single-use plastic products
In 2022, 524,003 tonnes of SUP food containers, equivalent to approximately 1.6 kilograms per capita, and 152,037 tonnes of SUP beverage cups, or around 0.5 kilograms per capita, were placed on the EU market. Future reporting will assess whether Member States achieve the required consumption reduction targets by 2026.
Policy measures and market instruments
Member States have implemented a range of measures to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic food containers and beverage cups. These include extended producer responsibility schemes, green public procurement criteria, awareness campaigns and the promotion of reusable or alternative materials.
Fishing gear collection remains limited
The report indicates that 22,900 tonnes of fishing gear containing plastic were placed on the EU market in 2022. Approximately one third of this volume was collected as waste, highlighting the need for further development of collection and recycling systems in this segment.
