In recent years, brands, governments, and industry associations across Europe have committed to establishing a more circular economy for food packaging. A goal of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan is that “all packaging on the EU market is reusable or recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030.” Some industry associations have published their latest data on this (FPF reported).
Glass
On June 27, 2024, Close the Glass Loop published the 2022 data on glass collection and recycling in the EU. In 2022, 12.4 million tonnes of glass packaging was collected, an increase of approximately 542,000 tonnes from 2021. On average, 80.2% of glass packaging was collected for recycling. The glass industry says in the press release that they are committed to further increasing these numbers: “To achieve the 90% collection objective by 2030, it is imperative to further promote initiatives in the separate collection of glass packaging from households and the hospitality sector, and support investments that maximize glass recycling outputs towards closed-loop glass packaging. The urgency of these measures cannot be overstated, as they are crucial for ensuring a sustainable and effective glass collection and recycling system across Europe.”
Paper
The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) published its 2023-2024 Annual Review on June 24, 2024. They report recycling rates for paper and board of about 70% in 2023 in the UK, an increase from 68% in 2022. However, the majority of this is exported and recycled in Asia.
Steel
Industry association Steel for Packaging Europe published their “independently verified figures” on the 2022 recycling rates of steel packaging in Europe, as reported by Packaging Europe on June 28, 2024. With an average recycling rate of 80.5% (an increase of 2% compared to 2021), steel recycling has reached a new record. According to the association, this already meets the EU recycling rate target for 2025.
Plastics
According to the most recent data from Eurostat on plastic recycling in Europe, 16.13 million tonnes of plastic waste was generated in 2021 with 6.56 million tonnes being recycled. This recycling rate of 40% for plastics in the EU is much lower compared to other materials. As part of the EU Green Deal, plastic recycling rates should reach 55% by 2030.
European Union
Many of these recycling rates when averaged across the continent are promising, however, a 2023 report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) found that many EU member states are at risk of missing certain packaging waste targets for 2025 (FPF reported). With the adoption of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) this year, there may still be considerable changes made to the waste management system in Europe (FPF reported).
References
Confederation of Paper Industries (June 24, 2024) “CPI Publishes its Annual Review ‘Leading the Sustainable Circular Economy’ for 2023-24.”
European Parliament (June 25, 2024) “Plastic waste and recycling in the EU: facts and figures.”
Close the Glass Loop (June 27, 2024) “The EU’s glass value chain sustains a steady 80.2% glass packaging collection rate with record volume of collected glass!”
Packaging Europe (June 28, 2024) “Steel for Packaging Europe confirms new 80.5% steel recycling record.”
