September 5, 2025 15:58

A new appeal to the European Commission and Parliament has been signed by 28 leading national and European associations from the plastics value chain, calling for urgent action to halt the decline of the plastics and recycling industry.

The joint letter highlights the sector’s critical condition and sets out six strategic recommendations to combat the pressing issues suffocating the industry, including low-priced imports, soaring energy costs, legal uncertainty, administrative burdens and regulatory fragmentation.

The signatories demand urgent measures to restore fair market conditions. “Imports must be countered by driving demand for high-quality EU-produced plastics and preventing the influx of non-compliant materials. This requires robust mirror measures on imported virgin and recycled plastics, as well as articles. In addition, it will require strengthened customs controls and targeted incentives—such as ramping up investments in infrastructure for collection, sorting and recycling, paired with fiscal stimuli,” the letter states.

The associations also call for incentives to support demand for circular plastics through eco-modulated extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees that reward recyclability and the use of recycled content, along with affordable access to energy and consistent EU legislation applied uniformly across member states.

“If urgent strategic action is not taken, the ongoing recession will further slash the production of plastics in the territory and the demand for these plastics and products, triggering an even higher number of bankruptcies and closures. Decades of investments in innovation and plastics circularity risk being lost, along with thousands of green jobs, threatening the European Union’s environmental goals,” the associations warn.

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