• Aliplast recycled 91.7% of the plastic film waste generated by Italian wine producer Cantina Pizzolato in 2025. • Around 19.8 tonnes of plastic film were collected and sent for recycling through a dedicated closed-loop system. • The recovered material is sorted, washed and processed into recycled plastic granules. • The recyclate is used to manufacture new film containing 30% recycled material, which returns to Cantina Pizzolato for use in its operations.
• Three major European recycling and waste management organisations are calling for stronger recognition of plastics collected and recycled within Europe. • Plastics Recyclers Europe, FEAD and Recycling Europe argue that European recycled materials should receive preferential treatment when companies comply with EU recycled-content targets. • The organisations warn that increasing imports of low-cost recycled plastics are putting European recyclers under severe competitive pressure. • They argue that EU circularity policies should create demand not only for recycled content, but also for recycling activities taking place within Europe. • The debate is becoming increasingly important as PPWR and other EU legislation progressively introduce mandatory recycled-content requirements.
• Investment: approximately €75 million • Location: Werne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany • Planned capacity: around 100,000 tonnes of plastic per year • Materials: HDPE caps, PS, PET trays and PET beverage bottles • Completion: scheduled for late 2027 to early 2028
• BMW, FORVIA HELLA, Covestro and other industrial and research partners have launched the KOLLEKT project to develop automotive components designed for circularity. • Automotive headlamps are being used as a model for developing a complete value chain based on Repair, Re-Use, Remanufacture and Recycle. • The project is developing a flexible robotic disassembly cell supported by artificial intelligence and digital product twins. • After disassembly, contaminants will be removed and different plastics fractions will be separated and characterised. • The project runs from June 2026 to May 2029 and is receiving EUR 4.371 million in funding from Germany's Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.
• Plastics Europe has published the 2026 edition of The Circular Economy for Plastics – A European Analysis. • The report reviews the evolution of the European plastics system during the 2022–2024 period. • Circular plastics production in Europe reached 8.7 million tonnes in 2024. • Annual growth in circular plastics production slowed significantly, from 13.6% in 2022 to just 1.2% in 2024. • 70.4% of collected plastic waste in Europe was still sent to incineration or landfill.
European circular economy summit announced in Romania
The European Commission has reaffirmed its priorities for plastics circularity in 2026, focusing on recycled content, market stabilisation and a closer alignment between environmental objectives and industrial competitiveness.
The European plastics industry is calling for clear, harmonised and predictable rules on mandatory recycled content, warning that the lack of a coherent framework could slow investments and destabilise the market.
The European Commission has announced its legislative priorities for 2026 regarding the circular economy of plastics. The focus is on strengthening the market for recycled plastics, reducing dependence on virgin plastic, and harmonising rules across EU Member States.
A new international report shows that European circular economy policies will redefine global demand for recycled plastic materials by 2030.
The American energy and petrochemical giant highlights significant progress in advanced recycling and the use of alternative feedstocks.
Un nou raport al Centrului Comun de Cercetare (JRC) al Comisiei Europene arată că UE se confruntă cu pierderi semnificative pe lanțul valoric al plasticului și cu o rată redusă de circularitate, ceea ce impune măsuri urgente de reglementare și investiții.