The circular economy for plastics in Germany has made considerable progress in recent years. This can be seen in the record figure for the recycling of plastic packaging in the Yellow Bag: in 2023, the recycling rate was once again well above the legal requirements at just under 69%. The use of recyclates in plastic products is also increasing continuously. Despite this positive trend, the amount of recycled plastics will not be sufficient to meet the statutory recyclate usage quotas that have already been decided and are planned. The background to this is a recent study by Conversio on behalf of the BKV, according to which the demand for recycled plastics in Germany will exceed the supply by 30% in 2030.
“The gap between supply and demand for recycled plastics will continue to widen over the next few years and presents the industry with a fundamental problem,” explains Dr. Oliver Möllenstädt, Managing Director of the German Plastics Processing Industry Association (GKV). “Without suitable plastic recyclates, the legal quotas, e.g. for packaging or automobiles, cannot be met,” Möllenstädt adds. “If we do not double the current rate of 3.5% per year in Germany by 2030, we are heading for a recyclate gap of almost 1 million tons. Across the EU, the gap is 3.5 million tons,” explains Alexander Kronimus, Deputy Managing Director at PlasticsEurope Germany, pointing out that quality requirements for recyclates, e.g. in contact with food, will further increase the gap.
The associations cite the one-sided focus of policy on packaging waste as the reason for the lack of recyclates, while large quantities of plastic waste from businesses and residual waste have so far been ignored and incinerated. “The investments made to date in the expansion of sorting and recycling infrastructure are nowhere near enough. We need to break out of our silo mentality and tackle the challenges across all sectors. All adjustments must be geared towards the goal of a circular economy,” demands Thorsten Kühmann, Managing Director of the VDMA Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association. The current BKV study “Status quo and forecast of demand and availability of post-consumer recyclates in 2030”, carried out by Conversio, confirms the importance of packaging for the circular economy: 80% of all plastic recyclates come from the packaging market, and according to the study, this will change very little by 2030. However, more than half (55%) of recycled packaging plastics will still be needed in other sectors in 2030, particularly in the construction and automotive industries.
Together, the associations of the German plastics industry are calling on the new EU Commission and the next German government to take measures to strengthen the supply of recyclates: on the one hand, the amount of plastic waste collected for recycling must be significantly increased, e.g. through separate collection at the
commercial waste, household waste and in the public sector. As the study shows, only 3.2 million tons of 5.6 million tons of plastic waste are collected for recycling in Germany. Only recently, another BKV study showed that there is an untapped potential of around one million tons of plastic waste lying dormant in mixed commercial waste and construction waste. Secondly, the legal framework conditions need to be adapted: Specifically, the associations are calling on the new EU Commission to swiftly approve further safe recycling processes for use in the food sector so that other plastic recyclates in addition to recycled PET can also be used in food packaging, for example.
The associations reject calls for protectionist measures, but at the same time demand better monitoring of imports. Anyone who gives the impression that the EU can achieve the goal of a circular economy by isolating itself from the rest of the world is on the wrong track. In fact, the EU is already a net importer of virgin plastics in terms of tonnage and the import of recycled plastics is also playing an increasingly important role in view of the recyclate gap. The global market also plays a decisive role in the sale of plastic products. The associations agree that the import of recyclates that do not meet European standards must be stopped and that market surveillance must be expanded. The obligation to have imported recyclates certified by an independent third party, which is already provided for in the EU Packaging Regulation, is seen as a step in the right direction.
The study can be ordered at: https://www.bkv-gmbh.de/studie-rezyklatverfuegbarkeit.html
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