DBU proposes six measures to boost plastic recycling

The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) has published a policy paper proposing six measures aimed at developing a functional market for recycled plastics. Research conducted by the Wuppertal Institute on behalf of DBU concludes that the sector urgently needs new impulses to improve its competitiveness.

The situation is challenging, as the forthcoming EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) mandates minimum quotas for recycled content in packaging from 2030. However, a lack of investment security is causing an increasing number of plastic recycling companies to cease operations, leading to concerns about a potential "recycled material gap."

The paper, presented at the IFAT environmental technology trade fair in Munich, suggests several solutions. These include leveraging public procurement more effectively to scale up plastic recycling technologies, supplementing minimum recycled content quotas with an allocation mechanism similar to emissions trading, and accelerating planning and approval processes. It also calls for reducing the variety of plastics used to develop economically viable recycling processes, establishing global standards for extended producer responsibility, and providing targeted support for new business models focused on circular plastic use.

DBU emphasizes that the planned action program of the National Circular Economy Strategy offers good implementation options that should be rapidly applied to the plastics sector.