At a time when Europe is placing circularity, resource security and industrial competitiveness at the heart of its political agenda, recognising the industry that turns these ambitions into reality has never been more important. For too long, recycling has been treated primarily as a subset of waste management, overlooking its distinct role as an industrial activity that transforms waste into valuable raw materials for European manufacturing. Yet waste management and recycling are not interchangeable concepts: while collection, sorting, treatment and disposal all have their place in managing waste, they do not necessarily constitute recycling, and activities such as incineration, even with energy recovery, cannot be equated with material circularity. As the EU prepares its next generation of circular economy legislation, these distinctions are essential to ensuring that policies support the industrial operations that genuinely keep materials in circulation.

Against this backdrop, Recycling Europe has published its Identity Statement, “Who we are, what we stand for & why it matters,” reaffirming the identity of recyclers as industrial producers of raw materials, highlighting their contribution to Europe’s competitiveness, decarbonisation and strategic autonomy, and calling for their proper recognition in the policies shaping Europe’s circular future.