On December 11, 2025, three major organizations – the European Plastics Recyclers Association, the European Waste Management Association, and the European Recycling Association – jointly sent a letter to Jessica Roswall, the European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and Competitive Circular Economy, urging the European Commission to prioritize the use of domestically produced recycled plastics in upcoming regulations.
The associations proposed that beverage bottles sold within the EU should be made entirely from recycled plastics collected and processed within the European continent, and that all products manufactured in Europe should also use recycled materials from European post-consumer waste. To ensure consistent standards, the letter also called for the establishment of "mirror clauses" to impose equivalent requirements on imported products.
These organizations stated that the rapid implementation of such measures would help Europe retain its recycling capacity, promote climate and circular economy goals, and suggested that future regulations on recycled materials should follow this regional procurement principle. The signatories emphasized that Europe has invested billions of euros in infrastructure for the circular economy and established world-leading environmental standards. Only by relying on domestic industrial capacity and practicing regional recycling can the vision of a circular economy be prevented from being undermined by unverified imported products from third countries. This is not protectionism, but a reflection of policy consistency and shared responsibility across the value chain.
The image shows compressed bales of recycled plastic waste, including compressed plastic bottles.
This call comes against the backdrop of severe economic difficulties facing the European plastics recycling industry. Organizations such as the Tomra Group, the environmental organization Searious Business, and Maastricht University have pointed out that high costs of recycled materials and the closure of recycling plants constitute a "broken economics" for the industry, urgently requiring intervention from the European Commission.
Furthermore, the "Bellwether Initiative" launched by Searious Business has gathered more than 110 organizations across the European plastics value chain to jointly sign a statement calling on the EU Directorate-General for Environment to narrow the price gap between virgin and recycled plastics, creating a more favorable market environment for the domestic recycled plastics industry and contributing to the steady progress of Europe's circular economy goals.
