{"id":9799,"date":"2025-07-23T08:00:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T05:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/eu-rules-chemically-recycled-pet-in-plastic-bottles\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T10:51:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T07:51:12","slug":"eu-rules-chemically-recycled-pet-in-plastic-bottles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/eu-rules-chemically-recycled-pet-in-plastic-bottles\/","title":{"rendered":"EU Rules for Chemically-Recycled PET in Plastic Bottles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the European Commission\u2019s latest <a href=\"https:\/\/environment.ec.europa.eu\/news\/commission-consults-new-rules-chemically-recycled-content-plastic-bottles-2025-07-08_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">publication<\/a>, new draft rules have been put forward to standardize how companies calculate, verify and report chemically-recycled content in single-use plastic beverage bottles. This initiative is part of the EU\u2019s push to achieve strict recycled content targets under the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), which demands 25 % recycled PET in plastic bottles by this year and 30 % in all single-use beverage bottles by 2030.<\/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\/eu-rules-chemically-recycled-pet-in-plastic-bottles\/#Supporting_New_Recycling_Technologies\" >Supporting New Recycling Technologies<\/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\/eu-rules-chemically-recycled-pet-in-plastic-bottles\/#Clear_Rules_and_Checks\" >Clear Rules and Checks<\/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\/eu-rules-chemically-recycled-pet-in-plastic-bottles\/#Other_Sectors_and_Next_Steps\" >Other Sectors and Next Steps<\/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\/eu-rules-chemically-recycled-pet-in-plastic-bottles\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Supporting_New_Recycling_Technologies\"><\/span><strong>Supporting New Recycling Technologies<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Mechanical recycling<\/strong> remains the <strong>main method for recycling plastic<\/strong> in the EU because it uses less energy and produces less pollution. However, it cannot always meet the high quality needed for items such as food packaging. In these cases, chemical recycling provides an important <strong>alternative<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">By setting <strong>clear rules for chemical recycling<\/strong>, the Commission hopes to encourage investment in this technology, reduce landfill waste and strengthen the EU\u2019s chemical industry.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Clear_Rules_and_Checks\"><\/span><strong>Clear Rules and Checks<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The new rules make sure <strong>only plastic waste that is genuinely turned back into new materials<\/strong> <strong>counts as recycled content<\/strong>. Any waste used for fuel or energy recovery will not count, aligning with the Waste Framework Directive.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Companies will need <strong>annual third-party checks<\/strong> for the most complex stages of the process. Small and medium-sized businesses will have a lighter burden, with verification <strong>every three years<\/strong>. Companies must also check their suppliers\u2019 declarations, while national authorities will carry out risk-based inspections.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9796 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/EU-Rules-for-Chemically-Recycled-PET-in-Plastic-Bottles-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"EU Rules for Chemically-Recycled PET in Plastic Bottles - Empty water bottles moving on conveyor belt in factory\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/EU-Rules-for-Chemically-Recycled-PET-in-Plastic-Bottles-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/EU-Rules-for-Chemically-Recycled-PET-in-Plastic-Bottles-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/EU-Rules-for-Chemically-Recycled-PET-in-Plastic-Bottles-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/EU-Rules-for-Chemically-Recycled-PET-in-Plastic-Bottles-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/EU-Rules-for-Chemically-Recycled-PET-in-Plastic-Bottles-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" 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=\"Other_Sectors_and_Next_Steps\"><\/span><strong>Other Sectors and Next Steps <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This is the <strong>first time the EU has proposed detailed rules<\/strong> for chemically-recycled content. The same approach could be extended to other sectors in future, including<strong> packaging<\/strong>, <strong>cars <\/strong>and<strong> textiles<\/strong>. This aims to give investors more confidence that chemical recycling has a stable future in Europe.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Stakeholders can submit <strong>feedback<\/strong> on the draft rules through the EU\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/law\/better-regulation\/have-your-say_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Have Your Say portal<\/a> until <strong>19 August 2025<\/strong>. The Commission plans to present the final draft to Member States for a vote, with adoption expected in <strong>autumn 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\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;\">The EU\u2019s new rules for chemically-recycled plastic aim to boost recycling rates, cut waste and strengthen Europe\u2019s position as a leader in sustainable plastics. By combining clear standards with fair checks, the Commission wants to make sure more plastic is reused instead of ending up in landfills or incinerators, helping Europe this way to move towards a more circular economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the European Commission\u2019s latest publication, new draft rules have been put forward to standardize how companies calculate, verify and report chemically-recycled content in single-use plastic beverage bottles. This initiative is part of the EU\u2019s push to achieve strict recycled content targets under the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), which demands 25 % recycled PET in&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":9797,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,543,545,540],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-advocacy-enforcement-en","category-packaging-legislation-en","category-regulations-policy-en","category-28","category-543","category-545","category-540","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9799","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=9799"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9877,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9799\/revisions\/9877"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}