Plastics Recycling Show Europe 2025: Learnings

Matthias Giebel
10. June 2025

The Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) in Amsterdam set a new milestone with over 13,000 visitors and more than 500 exhibitors. PRSE was an excellent opportunity to learn about current trends, network and work together on solutions for a sustainable future in recycling. We would like to share our findings and results with you. In focus: The current situation of recyclers, European recycling capacities, a special look at HDPE/PP and award-winning solutions for the packaging industry.

 

The current situation

There was a general agreement that the economic situation of European plastics recyclers continued to deteriorate last year.

• In 2024, the commissioning of new plants could only just offset the numerous closures. European recycling capacities are therefore stagnating at around 13.5 million tonnes per year.
• Many companies had to close, and investments were postponed. This particularly affected chemical recycling. Around 300 mostly smaller plants are currently installed. Spain, Germany and Italy account for around half of the expansion.
• If the situation does not improve soon, there is a risk of a supply shortfall of several million tonnes of recyclate by 2030. This would jeopardise compliance with the requirements of the new Packaging Ordinance (PPWR).
• There are fears of a migration of recycling to non-European countries, especially Asia. Imports in particular undermine competition. Energy and labour costs are an additional burden on European recyclers.
• Although the EU is well positioned with regulations such as the PPWR and the Single-Use Plastics Directive, there is a lack of practical implementation.

 

HDPE and PP

• Between 2018 and 2020, recycling capacities for rigid HDPE and PP in Europe doubled to 3.5 million tonnes. Since 2023, growth has stagnated in the face of difficult market conditions.
• There is also a need for action in terms of quality, for example with regard to recycled materials in food packaging. Possible remedies are seen in improved product design based on standardised guidelines. Circular solutions for HDPE/PP products in food quality and for contact-sensitive products would then also be possible.
• In contrast, applications for HDPE and PP recyclates are shifting more towards the construction industry. It accounts for just under half of HDPE recyclates and almost 30 percent of PP recyclates.
• According to the figures, the automotive sector is also gaining in importance at PP with just under 15 per cent.
• The packaging sector accounts for almost 40 per cent of HDPE recyclates and 30 per cent of PP recyclates.

Politics and industry are challenged

How the European recycling industry performs in the coming years will depend crucially on whether politicians and industry set the right course together now – for a circular economy that is both ecologically and economically sustainable.

 

Award winner 2025

The award winners of the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2025 show that the European recycling industry is not lacking in courage and innovation. New solutions for the packaging sector were also honoured: The kp 100% Tray2Tray® from Klöckner Pentaplast (Linpac Packaging) and GAINnext from TOMRA Recycling.

 

Plastic Packaging Product: kp 100% Tray2Tray® from Klöckner Pentaplast (Linpac Packaging)

The award-winning product epitomises the application of kp’s Tray2Tray® initiative. This is specifically designed to keep valuable PET tray material in the packaging cycle instead of recycling it.

• With this initiative, kp has developed the first food packaging trays on the market that are made entirely from recycled tray material. The company is thus demonstrating the feasibility of a genuine circular economy for food packaging.
• The trays are suitable for MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) applications, are ideal for complex supply chains and reduce food waste by extending shelf life.
• Other advantages include compatibility with high-speed packaging machines and lower total cost of ownership compared to alternative solutions.
• The solution is here. It is now important to increase the demand for packaging that uses recycled content from PET trays and to open up the market for it.

Samuel Pardo, Senior Innovation Manager, Food Packaging at kp, explained the reasons behind the development of the new solution: “When we developed the kp 100% Tray2Tray® trays for food packaging, we wanted to tackle one of the industry’s biggest challenges in the circular economy – the fact that around 750,000 tonnes of PET tray material are wasted in Europe every year, either through downcycling or processing in linear waste streams. Receiving this prestigious European recognition confirms that we are making significant progress in closing this loop.”

 

 

Recycling Machinery Innovation: GAINnext by TOMRA Recycling

GAINnext is an AI-supported sorting system with deep learning technology and a complementary technology to the company’s successful AUTOSORT solution. Tomra uses deep learning-supported object recognition to automate complex sorting tasks. According to the company, GAINnext is the key to solving challenges where conventional optical methods have long failed.

• GAINnext can distinguish between food-grade and non-food-grade materials and achieve 95 per cent material purity for food packaging, especially in combination with TOMRA’s state-of-the-art NIR sensors.
• In addition to the higher material purity, Tomra emphasises the reduced manual sorting effort and the continuous performance optimisation in food-grade applications and in the cleaning of PET streams.

In addition to the award-winning solution, Tomra presented other “PPWR-compliant” sorting solutions at PRSE 2025. The Norwegian company’s comprehensive sorting portfolio includes AI-supported technologies, precise flake sorting and sophisticated waste analyses to support recycling companies and brand manufacturers in the efficient implementation of these requirements.

 

 

Conclusion

The record attendance at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) in Amsterdam was a signal for the future of the circular economy. However, a real glimmer of hope is not yet in sight.