{"id":4090,"date":"2024-01-25T11:17:15","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T08:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=4090"},"modified":"2025-06-12T12:53:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:53:07","slug":"challenges-for-european-plastic-producers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/challenges-for-european-plastic-producers\/","title":{"rendered":"Plastics Europe: Challenges for European Plastic Producers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to a recent report, <em>Plastics Europe <\/em>has shared some interesting facts about recyclability and circularity of plastics in both European and global scale. More specifically, the production growth of circular plastics worldwide is studied and also the challenges that European plastic producers face, as well as the consequences these might have on the future of EU\u2019s recycling targets.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4098\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/decry-yae-vLhyMlsZ_Vs-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"cover photo for article challenges of European plastic producers\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/decry-yae-vLhyMlsZ_Vs-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/decry-yae-vLhyMlsZ_Vs-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/decry-yae-vLhyMlsZ_Vs-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/decry-yae-vLhyMlsZ_Vs-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/decry-yae-vLhyMlsZ_Vs-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<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\/challenges-for-european-plastic-producers\/#The_Global_Growth_of_Circular_Plastics_Production\" >The Global Growth of Circular Plastics Production<\/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\/challenges-for-european-plastic-producers\/#Fossil-based_vs_Circular_Plastics_in_EU\" >Fossil-based vs Circular Plastics in EU<\/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\/challenges-for-european-plastic-producers\/#Decrease_in_EUs_Plastic_Production\" >Decrease in EU\u2019s Plastic Production<\/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\/challenges-for-european-plastic-producers\/#The_Challenges_of_European_Plastic_Producers\" >The Challenges of European Plastic Producers<\/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\/challenges-for-european-plastic-producers\/#How_can_Producers_recover_from_these_Challenges\" >How can Producers recover from these Challenges?<\/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\/challenges-for-european-plastic-producers\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Global_Growth_of_Circular_Plastics_Production\"><\/span><strong>The Global Growth of Circular Plastics Production<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/plasticseurope.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><em>Plastics Europe<\/em><\/a> has recently published some \u201cfast\u201d facts in its report \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/plasticseurope.org\/knowledge-hub\/plastics-the-fast-facts-2023\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Plastics \u2013 the fast Facts 2023<\/a><\/strong>\u201d. While the report reveals a number of interesting trends about plastic production and circularity, one of the most significant statements is that of the global production of circular plastics. Specifically, the <strong>worldwide production of plastics experienced a small increase<\/strong> in 2022, reaching a substantial 400.3 million metric tons, marking a slight growth from the previous year.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fossil-based_vs_Circular_Plastics_in_EU\"><\/span><strong>Fossil-based vs Circular Plastics in EU<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The most remarkable result, however, lies within <strong>the production growth rate of circular plastics,<\/strong> which witnessed a staggering increase, <strong>16 times more<\/strong> than the growth rate of fossil-based plastics. Notably, circular plastics now constitute nearly 10 % of the global plastic production, signaling a significant shift towards sustainability.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Europe, fossil-based plastics production seems to be on a downward trajectory, contrasting with the impressive surge in circular plastics, which has seen a remarkable 29.2 % increase since 2018. <strong>As of 2022, circular plastics claim a noteworthy 19.7 % share of the overall European plastics production<\/strong>, underlining EU&#8217;s commitment in providing a more sustainable and circular economy.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Decrease_in_EUs_Plastic_Production\"><\/span><strong>Decrease in EU\u2019s Plastic Production<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The aforementioned \u201cPlastics \u2013 the fast Facts 2023\u201d report <strong>also highlights a growing gap between the European and the global plastic production competitiveness<\/strong>. Europe&#8217;s share to the world&#8217;s plastics production has decreased from 28 %, in 2002, to a mere 14 % in 2022, while North America and China have claimed 17 % and 32 %, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Challenges_of_European_Plastic_Producers\"><\/span><strong>The Challenges of European Plastic Producers<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite a stable demand for plastic products within Europe, the continent&#8217;s material production has, not only dropped in relative terms, but also in absolute terms, with the decline in European plastics production being attributed to various factors, including increase energy prices, strict regulatory framework and challenges in accessing raw materials.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plasticsrecyclers.eu\/news\/low-demand-and-high-imports-endanger-the-european-plastics-recycling-industry\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">article<\/a> of <em>Plastic Recyclers Europe<\/em> on the increase of imports inside of European countries, depicts that PET imports in the EU have increased by 20 % from Q2 2022 to Q2 2023.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If these issues persist, Europe is at risk of increasing its manufacturers\u2019 dependency on plastic imports, and since these imports might not adhere to the EU sustainability standards, they might jeopardize producers\u2019 ability to meet both European legal targets and EU\u2019s demand for plastics.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4093\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/banner-3370970_1280-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"photo of eu flag for article challenges of European plastic producers\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/banner-3370970_1280-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/banner-3370970_1280-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/banner-3370970_1280-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/banner-3370970_1280.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_can_Producers_recover_from_these_Challenges\"><\/span><strong>How can Producers recover from these Challenges?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To safeguard and rejuvenate European competitiveness, it is imperative to establish an enabling <strong>policy framework that encourages investments and ensures a level-playing field and fairness among competitors<\/strong>. A key proposal is the creation of a true EU equivalent to the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/green-power-markets\/summary-inflation-reduction-act-provisions-related-renewable-energy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">US Inflation Reduction Act<\/a><\/strong>, the most significant climate legislation in US history, which offers funding, programs, and incentives for the purpose of boosting the transition to a clean energy economy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Additionally, there is a dire need for a harmonized and consistent regulatory framework across the European plastics market. These measures will not only support plastics manufacturers but also align with EU sustainability goals, ensuring a resilient and competitive future for the European industry.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">While the global shift towards sustainability is clearly visible from the increased production and use of circular plastics, it is vital for the competitiveness of EU plastic producers that Europe establishes a legislative framework that both enables investments and averts manufacturers from the importation of plastic. In this way, Europe will manage to compete effectively with the rest of the continents\u2019 plastic production, while also staying in-line with its recycling targets and contributing further to the growth of plastic circularity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you want to learn more on the legislative field of plastic packaging, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/contact-us\/\">contact<\/a> our team of experts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a recent report, Plastics Europe has shared some interesting facts about recyclability and circularity of plastics in both European and global scale. More specifically, the production growth of circular plastics worldwide is studied and also the challenges that European plastic producers face, as well as the consequences these might have on the future&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4098,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4090","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\/4090","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\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4090"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4106,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4090\/revisions\/4106"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}