The EU Introduces New Rules Incorporating Chemical Recycling Of PET Bottles Into Recycled Materials

The EU Introduces New Rules Incorporating Chemical Recycling of PET Bottles into Recycled Materials


On June 30, the European Commission introduced new regulations to regulate the recycling management of single-use plastic beverage bottles made mainly from polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

For the first time, the rules establish a standardized method for calculating, verifying, and reporting the content of chemically recycled material. This document is part of the EU Commission's broader package of policies for the plastics industry, scheduled for release in December 2025.

Why the clarification?

In 2023, the EU only released accounting rules for mechanically recycled PET (Implementation Decision 2023/2683), which did not cover chemical recycling at all; meanwhile, the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) requires that from 2025, the average recycled content of PET bottles must be ≥25%, rising to 30% by 2030.

As the chemical recycling industry expands rapidly, large-scale differences in rules emerged across EU countries, companies, and environmental groups, making it necessary for the EU to unify standards and eliminate ambiguities.

How does the new regulation measure PET recycled content?

The new rules ensure full transparency in calculating the recycled content of brand-new single-use PET bottles, which is a key step to creating a fair competitive environment and stabilizing investment expectations in the plastics recycling industry.

The rules apply to all recycling processes, covering both chemical and mechanical recycling technologies, helping member states meet the recycled content targets set by the Single-Use Plastics Directive.

Mechanical recycling is currently the most widely used method, generally involving sorting, washing, shredding, and remolding plastics. However, some plastics cannot be efficiently recycled mechanically, such as those contaminated with food residues, containing various additives, or made from mixed materials, which dramatically reduce recycling efficiency. In these cases, chemical recycling can serve as a complementary method.

Unlike mechanical recycling, chemical recycling breaks plastics down into small molecules that can be reused as new plastic or other chemical products. This technology allows more types of waste plastics to re-enter the circular economy, including products with strict quality requirements like food-contact packaging.

Recycled content accounting is carried out in two phases:

First phase: only recycled plastics produced within the EU and European Economic Area count toward targets, as materials in this region can be fully verified for compliance with EU environmental regulations.

From November 21, 2027, recycled plastics produced by OECD members will also count, except materials explicitly excluded by the Waste Shipment Regulation.

Recycled plastics from non-OECD countries can be included if special agreements demonstrate that their health and environmental management standards are equivalent to EU requirements outlined in the Waste Framework Directive and Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations.

All recycled materials counted toward EU targets must meet reliable, traceable, and environmentally friendly accounting standards. The implementing rules will soon be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will come into effect 20 days after publication.