{"id":10075,"date":"2025-10-22T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T05:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=10075"},"modified":"2025-10-22T11:13:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T08:13:22","slug":"european-plastics-industry-near-breaking-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/european-plastics-industry-near-breaking-point\/","title":{"rendered":"European Plastics Industry Near Breaking Point as Competitiveness Collapses"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to <em>Plastics Europe<\/em>\u2019s latest <a href=\"https:\/\/plasticseurope.org\/media\/european-plastics-industry-at-cliff-edge-as-competitiveness-collapses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">press release<\/a>, European plastics manufacturers are facing an unprecedented decline in global competitiveness, with new data revealing a shrinking market share, falling turnover and a stalled transition toward circular production.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/european-plastics-industry-near-breaking-point\/#EU_Plastics_Market_Share_Freefalling_Despite_Brief_Stabilization\" >EU Plastics Market Share Freefalling Despite Brief Stabilization<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/european-plastics-industry-near-breaking-point\/#Energy_Costs_and_Policy_Pressures_Undermine_Plastics_Market_Competitiveness\" >Energy Costs and Policy Pressures Undermine Plastics Market Competitiveness<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/european-plastics-industry-near-breaking-point\/#EU27_Trade_Balance_Improves_Slightly_but_Global_Risks_Remain\" >EU27 Trade Balance Improves Slightly but Global Risks Remain<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/european-plastics-industry-near-breaking-point\/#Circular_Transition_Stalls_as_Asian_Plastics_Market_Pulls_Ahead\" >Circular Transition Stalls as Asian Plastics Market Pulls Ahead<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/european-plastics-industry-near-breaking-point\/#Call_for_Urgent_Policy_Support\" >Call for Urgent Policy Support<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/european-plastics-industry-near-breaking-point\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"EU_Plastics_Market_Share_Freefalling_Despite_Brief_Stabilization\"><\/span><strong>EU Plastics Market Share Freefalling Despite Brief Stabilization<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">After a <strong>record contraction in 2023 (-7.6%)<\/strong>, Europe\u2019s plastics production showed a modest recovery in 2024, rising 0.4 % to 54.6 million tonnes. However, this rebound has done little to slow the region\u2019s <strong>long-term decline<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Europe\u2019s global market share in plastics manufacturing has plummeted<\/strong> from 22 % in 2006 to just 12 % in 2024. Industry turnover followed the same downward trajectory, dropping from \u20ac457 billion in 2022 to \u20ac398 billion in 2024, a 13 % decline.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This downturn contrasts sharply with global trends, where worldwide plastics production <strong>grew 4.1 %<\/strong> last year and has surged more than 16 % since 2018. Asia continues to dominate the market, accounting for 57.2 % of global plastics output, with China alone producing 34.5 %, nearly triple the entire EU\u2019s output.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Energy_Costs_and_Policy_Pressures_Undermine_Plastics_Market_Competitiveness\"><\/span><strong>Energy Costs and Policy Pressures Undermine Plastics Market Competitiveness<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Plastics Europe\u2019s President, <strong>Benny Mermans<\/strong>, described the current situation as a \u201cpivotal moment\u201d for the sector, warning that European manufacturers are being outpaced by competitors overseas. \u201c<strong>While innovation and investments accelerate on other continents, Europe faces softened turnover and slowed production<\/strong>,\u201d Mermans mentioned.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">High energy costs, stringent climate-related taxes and expensive feedstocks have combined to erode the industry\u2019s competitiveness, causing <strong>asset sales <\/strong>and<strong> plant closures<\/strong> across the continent.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-10076\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/\u03a4\u03b5\u03bb\u03b9\u03ba\u03ac-Thumbnails-1024x576.png\" alt=\"European Plastics Industry Near Breaking Point as Competitiveness Collapses\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/\u03a4\u03b5\u03bb\u03b9\u03ba\u03ac-Thumbnails-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/\u03a4\u03b5\u03bb\u03b9\u03ba\u03ac-Thumbnails-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/\u03a4\u03b5\u03bb\u03b9\u03ba\u03ac-Thumbnails-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/\u03a4\u03b5\u03bb\u03b9\u03ba\u03ac-Thumbnails.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"EU27_Trade_Balance_Improves_Slightly_but_Global_Risks_Remain\"><\/span><strong>EU27<\/strong> <strong>Trade Balance Improves Slightly but Global Risks Remain<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The EU27\u2019s negative trade balance in plastic polymers improved marginally in 2024 (from -0.8 million tonnes in 2023 to -0.2 million tonnes) thanks to a 10 % rise in exports. However, shifting global tariffs remain a serious concern<strong>. The United States is now Europe\u2019s largest source of polymer imports <\/strong>(18.9 % of the market) and the EU\u2019s fourth-largest export destination (7.7 %).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Circular_Transition_Stalls_as_Asian_Plastics_Market_Pulls_Ahead\"><\/span><strong>Circular Transition Stalls as Asian Plastics Market Pulls Ahead<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Europe\u2019s long-standing leadership in circular plastics is slipping. While circular plastics made up 15.4 % of EU production in 2024, the figure mainly <strong>reflects a drop in fossil-based output rather than a meaningful rise in circular capacity<\/strong>. Overall, EU circular plastics production remained flat at 8.4 million tonnes. Mechanical recycling edged up 2.7 % to 7.7 million tonnes, chemical recycling stagnated at 0.11 million tonnes and bio-based plastics fell 25 % to 0.6 million tonnes, constrained by biofuel feedstock competition.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In contrast, <strong>global circular plastics production reached 43.9 million tonnes<\/strong> in 2024, surpassing 10 % of total plastics output for the first time. China led the way with 13.4 million tonnes, nearly doubling Europe\u2019s volume.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Call_for_Urgent_Policy_Support\"><\/span><strong>Call for Urgent Policy Support<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Plastics Europe is calling for a comprehensive policy response that includes measures to:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Address Europe\u2019s energy cost crisis.<\/li>\n<li>Strengthen enforcement of trade rules at EU borders.<\/li>\n<li>Stimulate investment in circular plastics production.<\/li>\n<li>Create stronger market demand for recycled content through ambitious targets and incentives.<\/li>\n<li>Establish a <strong>Chemicals and Plastics Trade Observatory<\/strong> to monitor global trade flows and ensure fair competition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As global competitors race ahead, Europe\u2019s plastics industry stands at a decisive crossroads. Without urgent and coordinated action from policymakers, the continent risks losing not only its industrial base but also its ability to lead the global shift toward circular and low-carbon materials. Safeguarding Europe\u2019s plastics production today is essential to securing the innovation, investment and circular economy progress needed for tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to Plastics Europe\u2019s latest press release, European plastics manufacturers are facing an unprecedented decline in global competitiveness, with new data revealing a shrinking market share, falling turnover and a stalled transition toward circular production. &nbsp; EU Plastics Market Share Freefalling Despite Brief Stabilization After a record contraction in 2023 (-7.6%), Europe\u2019s plastics production showed&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":10076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-industry-trends-reports-en","category-28","category-541","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10075"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10082,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10075\/revisions\/10082"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}