The European Union formally adopts End-of-Waste (EoW) criteria for recycled polyethylene (rPE) and polypropylene (rPP), establishing harmonized quality standards across the EU.

The European Commission has officially adopted the long-awaited End-of-Waste (EoW) criteria for recycled polyolefins, a key step toward harmonizing the recycling market across Europe.
For the first time, recyclers producing rPE and rPP that meet defined purity and traceability requirements will be allowed to classify their materials as products rather than waste, effectively removing cross-border restrictions under the EU Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR).

The new regulation sets out detailed thresholds for contamination, odor, heavy metals, and residual non-plastics. It also introduces mandatory digital traceability, aligned with Regulation (EU) 2025/1290 on digital waste tracking, ensuring that each batch of recyclate can be verified through a standardized EU-wide platform.
According to Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE), this legislative milestone will improve market transparency and reduce the bureaucratic burden for exporters and converters. EuPC (European Plastics Converters) has also welcomed the criteria, calling them a “turning point” that provides a clear legal definition of recycled raw materials within the Single Market.

Industry observers believe the EoW framework will boost investment in sorting, washing, and extrusion capacity, as recyclers can now market certified rPE and rPP as feedstock for packaging, automotive, and building products without additional national permits.