NEWS


PVC recycling rates fall again in Europe


Recycling rates of PVC in Europe fell again in 2024, according to VinylPlus. For the full year, it says nearly 725,000 tonnes of PVC waste were recycled in the EU-27, plus Norway, Switzerland and the UK – a fall of around 2%. This represents around 25% of all PVC waste generated in Europe, it said. Of the total, 61% was pre-consum- er waste – where factories reprocess their own waste internally – and 39% was post-consumer waste (where PVC is collected after use). In 2023, pre-consumer recycling fell by just over 2%, while post-consumer recycling rose by 7%. Recycling of ‘flexibles’ fell by almost 20% in 2024. Recycling of ‘rigid film’ was stable at around 20,000 tonnes. At the same time, recycling or rigid film fell 17%. However, the bulk of PVC is used in profiles and pipes – where recycling increased in both cases. In profiles, it rose about 1%, while for pipes it rose by 10%. VinylPlus said reasons for the


decrease were: a downturn in the construction sector, which reduced


Use of rPVC in 2024, %


Pipes 11%


Traffic


Management 16%


the availability of PVC waste for collection; more competitive prices of virgin PVC; and increased imports of non-EU virgin and recycled PVC. “Despite the challenges in 2024,


PVC waste recycling remained relatively stable,” said Charlotte Roeber, managing director of VinylPlus. “Reasons for this include committed and stable sourcing of recycled PVC – as an increasing number of companies has circular operations.”


Demand for recycled PVC (rPVC )


grew more than 4% compared to previous year, said VinylPlus – with uptake of rPVC from converters up to around 490,000 tonnes in 2024. The VinylPlus 2030 commitment


has a target to recycle 900,000 tonnes/year of PVC by 2025 – which would need a 24% increase this year – and 1 million tonnes/year by 2030. However, this year it says it will


launch “a comprehensive review of its 2030 targets…to take into account market and technical developments” and “the evolution of the regulatory framework”. � www.vinylplus.eu


Other building/ construction 7%


Other 1%


Efficiency, sustainability and circularity





Efficient lines for a low specific energy consumption


Floor coverings 25%





Windows/profiles 41%


Decreasing use of raw materials & “zero waste” in film production





Solutions for bio-based and bio-degradable packaging films





Source: VinylPlus, 2025


www.filmandsheet.com www.brueckner.com Total = 490,000 tonnes


Mono-material solutions to close the life cycle of BOPP, BOPET and BOPE


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