Brussels, 24 December 2025
The below quote can be attributed to Virginia Janssens, Managing Director, Plastics Europe
“The Commission’s communication recognises the need for urgent measures to get Europe’s plastics circularity transition back on track, which provides an important and positive signal. To deliver circularity at scale however, the measures proposed are a first step and/or require legal clarity to create the conditions needed on the ground for impact, innovation and investment along the entire plastics eco-system. Plastics Europe interprets this package as a first batch of measures and initiatives to help boost our industry’s overall competitiveness. Other measures will need to follow.
Establishing clear and harmonised End-of-Waste criteria for mechanically recycled plastics is a welcome move to cut red tape, support a functioning single market, and will ease pressure on a sector under strain. But limiting these criteria to mechanical recycling alone risks undermining Europe’s circularity ambitions. To build a truly circular economy and safeguard the long-term resilience and competitiveness of the European plastics industry, End-of-Waste criteria must be extended to all recycling technologies and to their secondary raw material outputs.
Europe needs decisive, coordinated and comprehensive political and policy action now to unlock investment in circularity and innovation which is interlinked with the need to reinforce the EU’s industrial base and economic security. This means adopting technology-neutral policies that accelerate all circularity solutions, tackling Europe’s crippling energy and CO2 cost crisis, and delivering clear, consistent, and supportive legislation that gives industry the confidence to invest locally and still compete globally.
One example is the long-awaited legal framework for chemical recycling investments in the EU. We note the application specific rules for plastic bottles (under SUPD) are sent today to EU Member States for final vote. Without a competitive and “conducive” regulatory framework, considering the application in scope, planned circularity investments will not take place in Europe.
In parallel, rapid changes to global trade require stronger and better border monitoring. Plastics Europe has early on recommended establishing a granular Chemicals and Plastics Trade Observatory to monitor trade flows in real time. This would provide the transparency needed to ensure a level playing field and allow timely and effective trade defence measures where necessary. We are pleased to note the Commission’s import surveillance initiatives for plastics in this regard.
We stand ready to actively and constructively work with the Commission services and Member States to help advance or implement this first package of measures, take actively part in initiatives such as the new Circular Plastics Alliance, as well as to identify policy gaps to address our competitiveness crisis and deliver circularity at scale for and in Europe ahead of the Circular Economy Act in 2026.”
Notes for Editors
Plastics Europe is the pan-European association of plastics manufacturers with offices across Europe. For over 100 years, science and innovation have been the DNA that cuts across our industry. With members producing over 90% of all polymers across EU27+3 (Norway, Switzerland, UK) we are the catalyst for the industry with a responsibility to openly engage with stakeholders and deliver solutions which are safe, circular and sustainable. We are committed to implementing long-lasting positive change.
Press Contact
Christiana Udoh
media@plasticseurope.org