Brussels, 2 February 2026 – European recyclers strongly support the call for a European Preference that puts materials ‘made in the EU’ at the heart of Europe’s industrial and economic strategy, while safeguarding open and unhampered markets for recycled materials. A proactive “Made in Europe” policy is essential to strengthen Europe’s industrial base, secure strategic material supplies, and deliver on the EU’s target of achieving a 24% Circular Material Use Rate (CMUR) in the EU, as set out in the Clean Industrial Deal (CID).

“All recycled materials produced by European recyclers are already Made in Europe, as they originate from waste collected, sorted, and reprocessed within the EU, said Maria Vera Duran, Policy Director at Recycling Europe. Recognising this reality through a European Preference materials is a simple and powerful way to reinforce Europe’s industrial resilience.”

Alongside many of its Members and Partners who have signed the call, Recycling Europe stresses that a “Made in Europe” preference must be paired with targeted incentives under the upcoming Industrial Accelerator Act, the revision of EU rules on public procurement, and the new Circular Economy Act, to boost the uptake of recycled materials across products and value chains. This approach would secure raw material supply through greater circularity, strengthen European manufacturing and industrial competitiveness, and accelerate decarbonisation, as recycled materials typically have a significantly lower carbon footprint than primary, extracted materials.

Recycling Europe therefore calls on EU policymakers to incentivise the use of recycled materials in products through green public procurement, product design, and upcoming industrial and circular economy legislation, to strengthen the share of “Made in Europe”. “Incentives are far more powerful than restrictions with multiple side effects and should go hand inhand with a much-needed simplification of EU rules to boost circular value chains and market access”, concluded Vera Duran. 

Note to editor: Recycling Europe (formerly EuRIC) is the voice of Europe’s recycling industry, including 80 national federations and companies across 24 EU & EFTA countries. From metals and paper to plastics, textiles, tyres, ships, construction & demolition waste, WEEE and ELVs, our members transform waste into resources—powering Europe’s circular economy, ensuring resource autonomy, and boosting competitiveness and sustainable industrialisation across the continent. For press-related enquiries, please contact Zoi Didili, Recycling Europe’s Senior Communications Advisor, by email at zdidili@recyclingeurope.org or by phone at +32 (0) 489 09 46.