EU Commission’s support for chemically-recycled beverage bottles faces scrutiny

The European Commission (EC) has launched a public consultation on the rules for calculating, verifying, and reporting on the recycled content, including chemically recycled, in single-use plastic beverage bottles. The new rules are part of the EC’s Action Plan for the EU Chemicals industry, aiming to boost its competitiveness and resilience on the world stage.

Packaging Insights speaks to the EC’s Internal Market and Industrial Strategy and Zero Waste Europe about how boosting chemical recycling can support stakeholders in meeting recycled content targets and its environmental effects.

The EC spokesperson tells us that the EU is looking to allow new recycling technologies to complement existing mechanical recycling technologies “to give us more options to recycle more, rely on less virgin fossil fuel, while avoiding landfill, incineration, and littering.”

“This is why we are proposing that all the outputs stemming from recycling processes which are directed to material production (but not to fuels) can be counted as recycled content, even if they are not polymers. By taking into account all the materials, we reinforce the business case for these technologies.”

Chemical recycling as a “key solution”

Janek Vähk, zero pollution policy manager at Zero Waste Europe, says: “The new implementing act might look like a technical update, but it’s actually a big deal.”

The EC expects chemical recycling to tackle the EU's industrial reliance on virgin fossil fuels.He acknowledges that the new action plan promotes the use of alternative raw materials and cuts EU reliance on fossil fuels. “That shows chemical recycling is being treated as a key solution — not just accepted, but encouraged — as part of the transition. It’s now positioned as a core part of the EU’s green strategy.”

The new rules are no longer just a follow-up to the Single-Use Plastics Directive — “it’s now part of a much larger plan to reshape the EU’s entire chemical industry,” says Vähk.

“In that sense, the move seems to support the EU Green Deal and the push for a circular economy. But look a little closer, and it gets more complicated.”

The EC outlines that the rules aim to ensure transparency in calculating the amount of chemically-recycled content in single-use plastic bottles for beverages. By setting “a clear” calculation methodology, the EC wants to create a level playing field and provide investment security for the sector.

The calculation methodology follows the “fuel-use excluded” allocation rule. In the case of chemical recycling, this means that pyrolysis oil used as fuel is not counted as recycled content, which is in line with the definition set out in the Waste Framework Directive. Only the portion that remains in the material cycle qualifies as recycling.

“The rules aim to balance transparency with minimal administrative burden for companies and national authorities. Annual third-party verification will be required for the most complex stages of the value chain, for example, during chemical recycling,” the EC says.

Sustainability claim scrutinized 

The EC says that the move aims to tackle the “increasing volumes of plastic waste” the EU is dealing with and “the urgent need to scale up plastic waste collection, sorting, and recycling.”

Janek Vähk, zero pollution policy manager at Zero Waste Europe (Image credit: Zero Waste Europe).The executive adds that it supports “all” recycling technologies in its endeavor to meet current recycling targets, referring to chemical recycling as “better for the environment than incineration or landfill disposal.” 

“Mechanical recycling is typically preferred as it is less polluting and more energy-efficient than chemical recycling,” the EC adds.

Vähk argues that the new rules treat mechanical recycling as a limited option, while chemical recycling is made to sound like it can solve all plastic problems. “That narrative feels suspiciously close to what we’ve heard from industry lobbyists before.”

He asks: “Is chemical recycling really sustainable? Or is it just giving the plastics industry a way to keep doing business as usual, dressed up in green language?”

“Same problems in new packaging” 

Vähk argues that important safeguards, such as EU rules on chemical traceability and how waste is defined, have now “quietly disappeared.”

“That’s worrying. These protections were there for a reason.”

According to the EC, the new rules balance transparency with “minimal administrative burden for companies and national authorities.”

But, the pollution expert warns that there are other red flags. “The EC introduces vague terms and includes materials with unclear environmental value. The EC is speeding down a road without knowing exactly where it leads.”

Vähk concludes: “While the EC move might look aligned with green goals on paper, we have to ask: is it really moving us forward — or just reshaping the same problems in new packaging?”