Plastics

Covering 60% of Europe’s installed plastics recycling capacity, the RecyClass Recycling Process Certification has become the leading certification scheme for plastics traceability across the region in only three years since its launch.

Nextloopp has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Letter of No Objection (LNO) confirming that its proprietary recycling process for recycled polypropylene (rPP) meets the requirements for direct food contact.

Dow, in partnership with Gruppo Fiori, has announced the latest advancements in a jointly-developed, novel process that enables recovery of polyurethane waste from end-of-life vehicles without disassembly.

The recycled polyethylene terephthalate (R-PET) market has seen its least volatile year since pre-COVID times, with seasonal trends replacing the extreme spikes and troughs experienced in recent years.

Aimplas has expanded its RecyClass recognition to include its laboratories for evaluating the recyclability of plastic materials used in the automotive and electrical and electronic sectors.

Every day, large quantities of post-consumer plastic waste are generated from packaging, household applications, and more. Despite the costly processing of this waste through sorting stations and wet washing, the output from these material flows often cannot be reused for high-quality applications due to remaining unpleasant and pungent odours in the granulate.

The European plastics value chain is at a breaking point. A deep competitiveness crisis is suffocating the industry, with serious consequences already materialising across the sector. By the end of 2025, the region is expected to have lost recycling plants, amounting to almost one million tonnes of recycling capacity.

The European plastic recycling industry is facing imminent collapse. The surge in low-priced imports of recycled plastics, the consequent decrease in the demand for EU-made recyclates, mounting economic pressures and excessive red tape are driving an increasing number of EU recyclers out of business.

Tray-to-tray recycling is becoming a recognized approach for advancing circularity in plastic packaging – especially for food-grade applications. Valerio Sama, Business Development Manager – Packaging at Tomra Recycling, examines the latest developments in tray-to-tray recycling, detailing the challenges, technologies and market trends shaping its growth across the industry.

The DECONWASTE project, funded by IVACE+i and the ERDF, aims to address the challenge of meeting the food safety requirements set by European regulations and ensuring consumer protection.

Indorama Ventures has announced that it has recycled more than 150 billion post-consumer PET bottles since 2011.