Politics

With war in the Middle East, crude oil and natural gas prices are surging as ships are held back at the Strait of Hormuz with obvious negative implications for global economies. But another big constraint is exports of chemicals and plastics from the region which will put upward pressure on prices.

The long-awaited final version of the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) Implementing Decision text has been published and confirms that recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) imports from outside the EU will only count towards the 25% target from 21 November 2027.

The European Commission has adopted the 15th edition of the European List of Ship Recycling Facilities. The update includes, for the first time, a German ship recycling facility located in Emden.

Emissions from Europe’s energy-intensive industries have declined significantly over the past two decades. However, progress has slowed and pollution-related health costs remain substantial. This is the central finding of the briefing “Zero pollution, decarbonisation and circular economy in energy-intensive industries” published by the European Environment Agency.

The European Commission has published details of its mass-balance approach under the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) implementing act voted through on 6 February.

Zero Waste Europe has proposed new waste reduction measures centred on a revised financing structure for Extended Producer Responsibility within the forthcoming EU Circular Economy Act.

A report by Zero Waste Europe and Reloop examines the introduction of an EU-wide cap-and-trade system for residual municipal waste as an instrument to support compliance with European waste reduction targets. The publication, entitled “Marginalising Waste: A trading scheme to reduce residuals”, outlines a regulatory framework designed to limit the volume of residual municipal waste generated across Member States.

The European Container Glass Federation has called on EU leaders to implement immediate measures to stabilise Europe’s industrial base. Speaking at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp on 11 February 2026, the federation expressed support for the Antwerp Call to Action and urged policymakers to address structural challenges affecting energy-intensive industries, including container glass.

As EU leaders meet on 12 February to discuss competitiveness, several civil society organisations have raised concerns about the direction of current policy discussions. They argue that proposals to revise or streamline climate, environmental and health legislation under the banner of “simplification” risk weakening established regulatory frameworks without addressing structural economic challenges.

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.

European recycling companies support the introduction of a European Preference that places materials produced within the European Union at the centre of industrial and economic policy, while maintaining open and well-functioning markets for recycled materials.