The European Commission recently confirmed it is preparing a new legal framework to tighten controls on plastic imports into the European Union from early 2026, responding to a year of accelerating closures across Europe’s plastics recycling industry. The proposed measures are intended to address rising imports of low-cost plastic materials that regulators and industry groups say are undermining domestic recyclers, distorting markets and putting the EU’s circular economy targets at risk.
The move follows a difficult year for Europe’s recycling sector. According to Plastics Recyclers Europe, more recycling capacity was lost in 2025 than in any previous year on record. Facilities in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and parts of Southern Europe have shut down or scaled back operations as operators struggle with persistently high electricity prices and shrinking margins.
At the same time, imports of plastic materials, some labelled as recycled, have continued to rise, often priced below the cost of production for European plants.
At the center of the Commission’s concern is the integrity of the recycled plastics market. Virgin plastic, produced directly from fossil fuel feedstocks, is often cheaper to manufacture than recycled plastic, particularly when oil prices are low.
European authorities say some of this virgin material is entering the EU market mislabeled as recycled, giving it access to buyers seeking to meet recycled-content requirements while undercutting legitimate recyclers. The price gap has widened further as energy-intensive recycling operations face electricity costs that remain significantly higher in Europe than in many exporting countries.
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The Commission has acknowledged these pressures in its policy planning. It has said that the recycling sector is being squeezed simultaneously by volatile virgin plastic prices linked to oil markets, high energy costs, and competition from imports that do not always meet the environmental standards claimed. The result has been falling demand for EU-produced recycled plastics, even as EU regulations increasingly mandate their use in packaging and consumer goods.
To respond, the Commission plans to introduce legal changes in the first half of 2026 aimed at tightening documentation requirements for recycled plastic imports. Importers would be required to provide more detailed and verifiable information on the origin, composition and processing of materials entering the EU. Officials say this is intended to improve traceability and reduce opportunities for false environmental claims.
Another key proposal under consideration is the introduction of separate customs codes for virgin plastics and recycled plastics. At present, tracking the precise volumes of recycled material entering the EU is difficult, limiting the ability of authorities to identify abnormal trade flows or spot misclassification. Distinct customs codes would allow regulators to build a clearer picture of import patterns and intervene more quickly where inconsistencies arise.
Beyond border controls, Brussels is also looking at oversight of recycling facilities that supply the EU market, including those located outside Europe. The Commission has indicated that audits of recycling plants could be expanded, alongside increased funding for laboratories capable of testing imported materials to verify whether they are genuinely recycled. These measures would extend enforcement beyond paperwork, addressing long-standing concerns from European recyclers that current checks rely too heavily on declarations rather than physical verification.
The Commission has also signaled that it is prepared to go further if market conditions do not stabilize. An import surveillance task force is expected to monitor plastics trade flows throughout 2026, collecting data that could inform future decisions. If imports continue to harm EU producers, Brussels has left open the possibility of trade measures, including additional duties or restrictions.
Such action would not be unprecedented. The EU already applies anti-dumping duties on polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, from China after determining that imports were being sold at prices that forced European producers to operate at a loss. PET is widely used in beverage bottles and food packaging, making it a critical segment of the plastics value chain.
Political pressure has been building within the bloc. Last month, six EU member states, including France, Spain and the Netherlands, formally urged the Commission to act against imports of low-quality recycled plastics. In their submission, they argued that heavily discounted materials were destabilizing domestic markets and accelerating the loss of recycling capacity just as regulatory demand for recycled content is increasing.
For the European Union, the stakes extend beyond trade balances. The bloc has committed to increasing recycled content in plastic products, reducing waste exports and cutting greenhouse gas emissions linked to materials production. Recycling plays a central role in these objectives, with the European Environment Agency estimating that recycled plastics can cut emissions by up to 70 percent compared to virgin alternatives, depending on polymer type and process.
If domestic recycling capacity continues to decline, meeting these targets becomes more difficult and reliance on imports grows, raising questions about transparency and environmental standards.
For African exporters and recycling operators, the planned changes signal a tightening of access to one of the world’s largest plastics markets. Countries such as Turkey, Egypt and South Africa have increasingly supplied plastic materials to Europe, and stricter documentation, audits and customs scrutiny could reshape trade flows. The EU’s approach suggests that sustainability claims will face closer examination, with traceability and verification becoming decisive factors in market access.
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