European plastics manufacturers will step up recycling by 2050

The objective is to reduce their CO2 emissions. European plastic manufacturers (excluding tires and textiles) will significantly intensify recycling, which should represent 43% of their total production in 2050 compared to 9% currently, they indicated on Thursday. Two weeks before the third round of international UN negotiations on the fight against plastic pollution - from November 13 to 19 in Nairobi, Kenya - the Plastics Europe association, a European lobby for the sector which brings together around a hundred manufacturers in 27 countries in the The EU plus Norway, Great Britain and Switzerland and producing more than 90% of all polymers in Europe, presented on Thursday its “roadmap” and commitments to “accelerate the transition to circular plastics”.

This document, which will be presented to public authorities, “maps a path to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions from the plastics ecosystem by 28% by 2030” and achieve “net zero emissions by 2050” , indicated Plastics Europe during a press conference in Paris. The profession is also asking the European Union for “a clear framework” which favors circular markets and industrial investments in Europe “rather than slowing down the transition of the sector”. In 2050, according to the document, European manufacturers should produce 15 million tonnes of recycled plastic via traditional mechanical processes compared to 5 currently, and 12 million tonnes via chemical processes compared to zero currently.

Also readPlastic pollution: the UN calls for “do more” to end the “disaster”

In total, recycled materials will represent 43% of total production, according to the projections presented, compared to 9% in 2021. Furthermore, Plastics Europe is also banking on the development of plastic made from biomass (sugar cane, cereals or other plants). ), which is expected to reach 11 million tonnes in 2050, or 18% of the total, compared to 2% in 2021.

Also including 3 million tonnes of plastic from the reuse of captured CO2, manufacturers estimate that 65% of their production will be “circular” in 2050 compared to 12% currently. Which implies that on this date, plastic from fossil sources such as oil should still represent 35% of European production, at 22 million tonnes, according to industry projections.

This figure nevertheless illustrates the turning point initiated by the industry of the old continent, because Europe produced 58.7 million tonnes of new plastic in 2022, of which 80.3% comes from petroleum products, according to Plastics Europe.