Plastics

In industrial plastic recycling and extrusion, system efficiency, thermal management and drive reliability are essential for stable continuous operation. FAE SRL, a supplier of electrical control panels and automation systems for OEMs in the plastics sector in Italy and Switzerland, required a drive solution capable of high power density and straightforward integration into modern control environments.

At Plast India on 6 February 2026, Erema and Lindner Washtech announced the establishment of EREMA India. The new joint sales and service subsidiary responds to the growing demand for industrial plastics recycling solutions in India. By combining washing and extrusion technologies, the company provides coordinated process solutions covering the full mechanical recycling chain.

BEWI has opened Norway’s first recycling facility for expanded polystyrene (EPS) at its insulation production site in Fredrikstad. The new plant enables the collection, processing and direct reuse of recycled EPS within the company’s local production of insulation materials.

Mozambique has issued its first waste recovery certificate through the Kolekt Exchange, marking an early step towards compliance with forthcoming Extended Producer Responsibility regulations. The certificate was issued by Topack, one of the country’s largest recycling companies and a long-standing partner of Kolekt.

In the plastics manufacturing industry, at least 50% of total costs are materials—primarily plastic resins—while the remainder is allocated across labor and other operating expenses. According to PLASTICS’ 2025 Size and Impact Report, materials accounted for 66.6% of shipments, annual payroll represented 12.7%, and the remaining 20.7% reflected other operating costs.

The UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for packaging, introduced in October 2025, is designed to make producers financially and operationally responsible for the packaging they place on the market and its end-of-life management.

The outline conference programme for the Plastics Recycling Show Europe 2026 has been released ahead of the event, which will take place on 5 and 6 May 2026 at the RAI Amsterdam.

Plastics Recyclers Europe has published the first Europe-wide mapping of plastics recycling technologies. The report provides a data-based overview of the current status of plastics recycling in Europe, identifying existing technological capacities as well as structural and technical gaps. It is intended as a reference for stakeholders along the plastics value chain, including recyclers, converters, brand owners and policymakers, and supports evidence-based decision-making.

Aimplas has launched the POLY-ML project, an R&D initiative that applies machine learning methods to predict the properties of plastic materials based on their formulation and processing parameters.

The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance and R3vira have entered into a collaboration aimed at expanding polystyrene recycling infrastructure in Mexico City. The cooperation links a North American industry coalition focused on scalable recycling solutions for polystyrene and expanded polystyrene with a locally based organization operating community-oriented collection systems in one of the largest urban regions in the Americas.

PET is the second most recycled polymer in the European Union. Despite this position, the European PET recycling sector is under increasing pressure. Low market prices and growing stockpiles, driven in part by imports of lower-cost recycled material, are placing significant strain on established recycling facilities in Europe. This development comes at a time when domestic recycling capacity is required to meet existing and upcoming EU circular economy targets.