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INDUSTRY
EU Plans Decisive War on Plastic
in 2025, EU Services Tasked with Studying Extreme Measures to Eliminate Plastic Pollution
The EU is preparing to take unprecedented action against plastic pollution. A new European Commission report exposes the sector’s huge environmental footprint and highlights bold strategies under consideration — from changing raw materials to radically overhauling waste systems. Officials are even weighing measures that could reshape entire industries. With global plastic use set to soar in coming decades, Brussels is signalling it’s ready to act decisively. What’s on the table — and how far will the EU go?
Need continuous coverage on plastics & packaging files? Explore the Industry Platform (PRO / PLUS / PREMIUM).
Brussels, 6 October 2025 – The European plastics sector, responsible for millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and vast amounts of waste, could chart a course toward sustainability — but only if urgent systemic changes take place. That’s the stark message from a new Joint Research Centre (JRC) report published today.
In 2022, EU citizens consumed 62.8 million tonnes of plastic — about 140 kg per person — with domestic production covering 92% of demand. The environmental cost is steep: 252 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions, mostly during manufacturing. “If the plastics industry were a country,” notes the JRC, “it would rank as the EU’s fifth-largest emitter.”
Waste remains the Achilles’ heel of the system. Of the 42.5 million tonnes of plastic waste generated in 2022, 80% was incinerated or landfilled. Only 20% made it into recycling streams. Packaging accounts for nearly half of that waste and fares better, with a recycling rate around 35%, but textiles lag far behind — a mere 1.5% recycled.
Beyond waste, leakage into the environment is a persistent problem: 3.7 million tonnes of plastic escaped in 2022 alone, from packaging litter to microfibers shed in laundry cycles.
JRC identifies three key levers for change that EU Institutions would transform in a new legislation that could accelerate the plastic transition
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In 2022, EU citizens consumed 62.8 million tonnes of plastic — about 140 kg per person — with domestic production covering 92% of demand. The environmental cost is steep: 252 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions, mostly during manufacturing. “If the plastics industry were a country,” notes the JRC, “it would rank as the EU’s fifth-largest emitter.”
Waste remains the Achilles’ heel of the system. Of the 42.5 million tonnes of plastic waste generated in 2022, 80% was incinerated or landfilled. Only 20% made it into recycling streams. Packaging accounts for nearly half of that waste and fares better, with a recycling rate around 35%, but textiles lag far behind — a mere 1.5% recycled.
Beyond waste, leakage into the environment is a persistent problem: 3.7 million tonnes of plastic escaped in 2022 alone, from packaging litter to microfibers shed in laundry cycles.
JRC identifies three key levers for change that EU Institutions would transform in a new legislation that could accelerate the plastic transition
Would you continue reading?
EU plans a decisive war on plastic - Premium version
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At a glance. The Commission’s plastics package targets upstream design, recycled content, EPR, and single-use reduction, while Parliament and Council positions are converging on enforcement and reporting obligations.
The EU is moving fast on bold measures to reshape the plastics sector — don’t be the last to know.
© Copyright eEuropa Belgium 2020-2025
Sources: ©European Union, 1995-2025, ©EEA, Eurostat
Sources: ©European Union, 1995-2025, ©EEA, Eurostat
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