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Articles by Ton Emans
From challenges to actions: Charting the future of Europe’s plastics recyclers
TE By Ton Emans, President At Plastics Recyclers Europe PRE May 05, 2026 04:00 AM EDT Europe’s plastics recycling sector is entering a decisive phase. After years of mounting pressure and acute crisis, the moment has come to move to structural action.
Tiempos críticos para el reciclaje de plásticos: ¿Dará Europa un paso adelante?
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What lies beneath the crisis in Europe’s plastics recycling sector
Europe’s recycling capacity has stalled after years of steady expansion, with forecasts indicating zero net growth in 2025. At current pace, Europe risks falling short of its environmental goals, as recycling capacity would need to double by 2030 to meet recycled content targets. By the end of 2025, nearly one million tonnes of recycling capacity will have been lost since 2023 – an amount equivalent to the recycling capacity of the whole of France.
Six actions to prevent an industrial crisis in plastics recycling
Plastic, the third most widely used material in Europe, occupies a central position in Europe’s industrial landscape. It plays a central role in sectors such as packaging, automotive, construction, electronics or healthcare. When plastics reach the end of their useful lives, plastics recyclers reprocess them into high-quality materials used to produce new articles, hence keeping them out of landfills and incineration.
Tiempos críticos para el reciclaje de plásticos: ¿Dará Europa un paso adelante?
El sector europeo del reciclaje de plásticos se encuentra en un punto crítico a causa de la recesión que enfrenta actualmente la industria. Los problemas que contribuyen a este declive no son nuevos, como el aumento de las importaciones de fuera de la UE, la falta de demanda, los altos costes energéticos y, en consecuencia, la falta de inversiones. Es hora de actuar, está en juego nada menos que el progreso logrado durante la última década hacia una economía circular de los plásticos.
Building tomorrow's resilience today: Climate-proofing Europe's infrastructure
It is no secret that infrastructure systems like railroads, bridges, highways, water systems, and the power grid underpin Europe’s economic development. They improve our quality of life and enable critical programs like the transition to cleaner and more sustainable sources of energy. But like the rest of the continent, these essential assets are not immune to the growing pressures of climate change.
As the EU seeks a sustainable future, plastic recycling can play a key role
The transition to a resilient Circular Single Market goes hand in hand with a healthy and competitive European plastics recycling value chain. In this scenario, framework files like the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) constitute the centerpieces of EU legislation driving the plastics industry transition.
Don’t trash European recycling
European farmers are far from alone in feeling bitterly angry about the threat from low-cost, unfair competition and pricing which risks destroying their livelihoods. Europe’s packaging recycling industry faces a similar existential challenge. We are not burning tires or dumping piles of steaming manure at the seat of our legislatures but we share the farming fraternity’s frustration when European lawmakers show signs of forgetting whose side they are supposed to be on.
PPWR trilogues must bring solutions to soaring recycled plastic imports
A healthy recycling value chain is essential to solve the challenge of plastic pollution in Europe. And EU policies must help make this happen. It is in the hands of policymakers to ensure that the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation safeguards the competitiveness of the EU plastic recycling industry and the objectives of the EU Green Deal. The urgent need for action has been confirmed in a recent issue brief based on a 2023 study.
Recycling targets move out of reach due to imports, lack of control mechanisms
Solving the challenge of plastic pollution in Europe cannot be achieved without a healthy plastics recycling value chain. EU institutions have taken important legislative steps to advance plastic circularity on the territory. Nonetheless, an approach that alleviates the current pressure on European recyclers will be crucial in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
Recycling and resilience
The COVID-19 pandemic brought a massive amount of uncertainty to our lives. Starting with constant worry about the health and safety of our relatives, friends or colleagues, to everyday life insecurities in terms of work or taking care of our children or daily chores. This situation has severely impacted us in almost every sphere. It has impacted the way we work, disrupted production – even putting it completely on hold for several months.
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