Sumika Polymer Compounds Europe is investing more than EUR 13 million in a new mechanical recycling facility in Saint-Martin-de-Crau, France. The project targets polypropylene waste from end-of-life vehicles and industrial sources. The facility is expected to support around 10,000 tonnes per year of recycled PP production. Together with Sumika's existing recycling operations in Turkey, the group's recycled PP capacity is expected to exceed 25,000 tonnes per year. The investment comes as European automotive manufacturers prepare for increasing requirements for recycled plastics in new vehicles.
• BASF has started the modernisation and expansion of its intermodal terminal in Ludwigshafen, Germany. • The total investment is in the low three-digit million-euro range, meaning more than EUR 100 million. • The German federal government is contributing nearly EUR 51 million to the project. • The terminal can handle up to approximately 500,000 loading units per year and represents an important hub for combined road-rail transport. • Completion of the project is scheduled for 2028. • The investment gains additional importance at a time when low Rhine water levels are affecting the transport of raw materials and chemical industry products.
• WIS Kunststoffe has completed the generational transition in the company's management. • Daniel Römhild takes over responsibility from founder Siegmar Römhild, who will continue to support the company in an advisory role. • WIS plans investments worth several million euros in recycling technologies and additional production capacity. • The development of PCR materials for demanding applications is one of the company's strategic priorities. • The strategy builds on the expansion initiated with the acquisition of the former BOS site in Trusetal, which is being developed for PCR recyclate production.
• Selenis and Evertis have launched the Everbio Innovation Hub in Portalegre, Portugal. • The project is backed by a €15 million investment financed by C2 Capital Partners. • The hub integrates polymer production, PET packaging, advanced recycling and renewable energy within a single industrial ecosystem. • Research will focus on recycled PET (rPET), bio-based polymers and next-generation circular packaging materials. • The initiative aims to accelerate the industrialisation of sustainable polymer technologies and support Europe's transition towards a circular plastics economy.
British company withdraws from its Scandinavian investments, warning that the current European market does not yet provide the conditions needed for advanced recycling to become commercially viable • Viridor will close all of its European chemical recycling operations. • The decision affects the company's facilities in Skive (Denmark), Oslo (Norway) and Malmö (Sweden). • The company cites weak demand for recycled plastics and continued pressure from low-priced virgin materials. • Viridor believes that the current regulatory framework does not provide the long-term certainty required to support investments in chemical recycling. • The facilities will be closed following the completion of consultation processes with employees and relevant stakeholders.
• ENGEL continues expanding its smart factory and automated production solutions. • The company is focusing on digitalization, energy efficiency, and traceability. • Medical, automotive, and technical components remain key target sectors. • Demand for integrated “ready-to-produce” manufacturing cells is increasing. • Automation and real-time production monitoring are becoming increasingly important across the European plastics industry.
SABIC has announced the sale of its European Petrochemicals and Engineering Thermoplastics businesses in Europe and the Americas to AEQUITA and Mutares, in transactions totaling approximately $950 million.
Toyota Motor Corporation will invest €120 million to scale up production lines using recycled plastic materials, reinforcing its long-term commitment to low-carbon automotive manufacturing.
ExxonMobil has suspended its European chemical-recycling expansion plans, citing regulatory uncertainty linked to the EU’s upcoming rules on recycled-content calculation and mass-balance methodologies
GreenGroup has completed the upgrade of its Buzău facility, raising its total PET recycling capacity to 180,000 tonnes per year.
MOL Group increases its recycling capacity in Hungary with a new PP and PE reprocessing line at Tiszaújváros.
Hungarian recycler ReMat Zrt. is expanding its recycling operations with the support of a €18 million EU Cohesion Fund investment aimed at modernizing washing and regranulation lines and boosting the country’s circular economy capacity.
RadiciGroup announced the acquisition of Italcompound, strengthening its position in the ABS and PA compounding markets in Europe.
In Prokuplje, Leoni opens a new unit for automotive wiring harness supports, using recycled PA and PP. 600 new jobs.
The Chinese group Minth Holdings is making a strategic €950 million investment in Serbia, opening two new facilities in Leskovac and Ćuprija. The project is expected to generate 2,800 jobs and strengthen Serbia’s role as an emerging automotive hub in Central and Eastern Europe.
Romanian Competition Council is assessing a new M&A deal in the sustainable packaging market.
The Chinese government is supporting the construction of 15 new chemical recycling plants by 2027.
A European investment fund announces the construction of a new state-of-the-art PET recycling plant in Poland, to meet the growing demand for high-quality rPET from packaging producers.
Volkswagen Group announced new €4 billion investments in battery cell manufacturing facilities located in Tennessee (USA) and Salzgitter (Germany), aiming to double production capacity for EVs by 2030.