On July 6, 2026, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) published its updated methodology for estimating packaging placed on the market in EU Member States. The new model covers food and beverages as well as home care, personal care, and pet food products, representing an estimated 75% of the European consumer packaging market. Estimates are provided for 19 Member States covering more than 97% of the EU population for the period 2011–2025.
According to the report, an estimated 42.8 million tonnes (Mt) of packaging were placed on the market in 2024. Glass accounted for the largest share by mass (32.3 Mt), followed by plastics (5.9 Mt), metals (2.3 Mt), paper-based packaging including liquid cartons (2.1 Mt), and smaller amounts of mixed-material packaging.
While total packaging quantities remained broadly stable over the study period, plastic packaging increased by approximately 11% in absolute terms. The report attributes much of this increase to growth in PET packaging. Plastic packaging corresponded to nearly 14 kg per capita annually across the countries examined. This excluded mixed packaging materials that contain plastic such as aluminum-plastic and paper-plastic.
The analysis also highlights that there is substantial variation in packaging use across Europe. Estimated plastic packaging quantities ranged from approximately 8 kg per capita in Sweden to almost 16 kg per capita in Germany. The relative importance of different packaging materials and polymers also varied considerably among countries and product groups. PET was generally the dominant plastic polymer used for food and beverage packaging, contributing on average 55% of total plastic packaging by mass, followed by polypropylene (39%).
The report further examined potential changes in packaging material use for milk, bottled water, juices, and carbonated soft drinks. Some country-specific examples suggested significant changes in the relative shares of packaging materials over time. For example, bottled water packaging in Italy and Slovakia showed an increase in PET alongside an equivalent decline in glass, whereas bottled water packaging in Bulgaria showed increasing use of glass relative to PET. The report notes that such patterns do not necessarily indicate deliberate material substitution by manufacturers and may reflect changing consumer preferences.
The JRC states that the methodology is intended to support Member States in reporting packaging waste quantities under EU legislation, including the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR; FPF reported).
Beyond waste and recycling policy, the dataset may help researchers better understand how food contact materials are distributed across product categories and countries. Such information can support future assessments of chemical exposure from food packaging and help identify where changes in packaging material use may influence exposure patterns.
References
De Laurentiis et al. (2026). “Estimating packaging placed on the market at national level – Packaging model updates version 2.0.” Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.
