The implementation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), alongside other EU legislation such as the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) and the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR), will determine whether the EU succeeds in creating a competitive market in Europe for recycled plastics and in strengthening demand for European-made recycled plastics.

The three pieces of secondary legislation foreseen under Article 7 PPWR[1] will play a key role. At a time when Europe’s plastics recycling industry is facing an unprecedented crisis, with numerous plant closures, declining demand, and growing competition from imports of recyclates whose recycled content cannot always be effectively verified, these rules under PPWR must provide a robust framework recognising the strategic importance of a strong European recycling industry and effectively supporting it.

In this paper Recycling Europe calls for an implementation framework built around three principles: support European recycling through fair competition and a Made in Europe preference; guarantee credible and verifiable recycled-content claims; and ensure that recycled content targets deliver measurable environmental benefits.

[1] Art. 7(8) Implementing Act on calculation and verification of recycled content; Art. 7(9) Delegated Act on sustainability criteria for plastic recycling technologies; Art. 7(10) Implementing Act on equivalence for admitting recycled content from third countries