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In conversation with Silke Einschuetz
September saw the launch of the second edition of AMI’s Recyclingof Flexible Films in Europe report. Silke Einschuetz, Senior Consultant Recycling & Sustainability in AMI’s Market Intelligence division, shares some key findings.
Published in September 2025, the report offers a comprehensive analysis of the current state and outlook for the recycling of flexible films in Europe. It analyses the industry’s operating environment and the challenges involved in the collection, sorting, and recycling of flexible films.
In preparing the report, AMI’s comprehensive and detailed in-house data on virgin polymer demand, polymer end-use applications, and recycling capacities was combined with an extensive research programme including conversations with a wide range of industry participants.
The quantitative analysis includes a focus on volumes of post- use flexible films generated and, considering collection and sorting rates, assesses the volumes of post-use films available to EU+3 recyclers as inputs into the recycling extrusion process, establishing the recycling rate. Data is provided for the years 2023 and 2025, with forecasts for 2030 and 2033.
New for the second edition is a detailed look at the requirements for flexible films’ recycling rates and recycled content targets under Europe’s Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation, and a comprehensive analysis of the contribution physical and chemical recycling technologies can make in achieving these targets.
Silke, which segments of the flexible films market have you analysed in your study?
The study closely analyses the post-use value chains (collection, sorting, and recycling) of flexible consumer films, flexible industrial films, and agricultural films. In addition, it provides a quantitative and qualitative overview of individual initiatives aiming to establish the recycling of building & construction films, medical & hygiene films, bags & sacks, and other films.
Of the estimated 14.2 million tonnes of post-use flexible films available on the market in the EU27+3 in 2025, flexible consumer packaging films and flexible industrial packaging films represent the largest sources. And these are also the two segments of the flexible films market that are in the spotlight of EU legislation, both in terms of recycling rates and recycled content, as well as reuse mandates and packaging minimisation goals.
What are the particular challenges of recycling flexible films?
The recycling of flexible films has, for a long time, been held back by the lack of an appropriate collection infrastructure, and the difficulties involved in handling flexible films in Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), combined with a lack of sorting by polymer and colour.
In the largest segment, consumer packaging films, low weight in relation to surface area, and the presence of multi-materials and multilayer and barrier structures pose additional challenges. They play a key role in protecting the packaging content, but together with the presence of coatings, additives, inks, labels, and adhesives, present significant challenges during the sorting and recycling process.
You have traced the flow of post-use flexible film volumes through the collection, sorting, and recycling stages of the value chain. Could you please summarise your main findings?
We found a significant volume gap between post-use volumes of flexible films arising and the proportion that is being collected for recycling. The gap between volumes collected and those sorted for recycling is also significant. Volumes for recycling input in the EU27+3 are lower yet again, with the difference here determined by additional sorting by recyclers, but also by volumes of sorted post-use films exported outside the region.
There are, obviously, stark differences between the different segments of flexible films examined, which are explained in detail in the report.
We understand that the gap between post- use volumes generated and collected is most pronounced for flexible consumer packaging films. Could you explain why this is the case?
There are a number of elements to consider here. Firstly, the collection infrastructure. Flexible consumer packaging films are not universally collected as part of kerbside municipal
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