Plastics

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.

Newly published research indicates that the climate benefits of plastic recycling in Europe depend primarily on recycling quality rather than recycling volume.

The contamination of surface waters, groundwater and wastewater with microplastics, micropollutants
and other organic trace substances is one of the greatest challenges currently facing water and
environmental protection. These substances occur predominantly in very low concentrations below 1
μg/L, but are often characterised by high persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicological relevance.

Abandoned and discarded fishing nets are a persistent source of plastic pollution in seas and oceans. The REDES4VALUE project addresses this issue by developing processes to recover and recycle end-of-life fishing nets and convert them into secondary raw materials for industrial applications.

Norner and Orkla Home & Personal Care (OHPC) have collaborated on a project to assess the suitability of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics for use in personal care packaging. The work supports OHPC’s objective of increasing the share of recycled material in plastic packaging while maintaining product and consumer safety.

Artificial intelligence will be a central topic at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRS Europe) exhibition and conference, which will take place at RAI Amsterdam on 5 and 6 May 2026.

Since April 2024, Cirrec, part of the Faerch Group, has been operating a recycling plant in the Netherlands that processes post-consumer PET trays from household collection systems into food-grade recycled material.

A new research project is developing processes to manufacture bioplastics from agricultural residues and pruning waste generated in the Valencian Community.