Chemical Recycling Europe Reaffirms Commitment to 2030 Targets Amid Industry Headwinds
CRE calls for regulatory stability and urges adherence to Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation deadlines as value-chain partners remain committed to delivering capacity ahead of 2030.
Chemical Recycling Europe acknowledges that the chemical recycling industry is currently facing a confluence of pressures driven by the elevated cost of capital and a financing environment that demands regulatory certainty before committing to long-term projects. The near-term need to secure financing and the anticipated timeline for full regulatory clarity are creating short-term uncertainty for companies seeking to raise capital and advance project development. CRE recognises the real pressure that this places on members and value-chain partners alike.
Value-chain partners across the petrochemical and packaging industries have been consistent in their message: investment decisions of the scale required to build out chemical recycling capacity cannot be made without a degree of regulatory certainty. That certainty is expected to crystallise around 2028 as the PPWR framework matures. In the interim, the sector must bridge a period of constrained financing conditions without retreating from its long-term commitments.
CRE is clear that current difficulties do not reflect a fundamental limitation of the technology, nor a withdrawal of industry ambition. They reflect the natural lag between policy development and private capital deployment. This is a challenge that well-designed, stable regulatory frameworks are intended to resolve, and it is precisely why CRE continues to advocate for adherence to agreed timelines rather than their revision.
The association’s position is clear: The sector is not in retreat, and CRE will not allow short-term headwinds to obscure the fundamental case for chemical recycling as an indispensable part of Europe’s circular economy.
The technologies are proven. Chemical recycling technologies exist today at commercial and near-commercial scales. The industry has demonstrated that the infrastructure required to meet the PPWR targets is in place.
Investment is ready to move. CRE members and their value-chain partners are prepared to invest ahead of 2030 to ensure the necessary capacity is in place. This commitment is substantive and not contingent on every regulatory question being resolved in advance.
Agreed timelines must be upheld. CRE continues to urge all stakeholders, including EU institutions, Member States, and industry, to adhere to the agreed deadlines under the PPWR. Policy consistency is essential to converting committed investment intent into deployed capital.
CRE’s focus is on the collective trajectory of the sector and on constructive engagement with European policymakers to ensure that the conditions for investment are established without delay. Therefore, CRE calls on the European Commission and co-legislators to provide the regulatory certainty that will allow committed capital to flow. The policy mechanisms are in place, and the industry has not stepped back from its ambitions. What the sector requires now is the confidence that comes from stable, predictable regulation, implemented on the timelines that have already been agreed.
“The challenges facing the chemical recycling sector today are real, but they do not call into question the fundamental viability of chemical recycling. Our members are building, investing, and planning for a future in which chemical recycling is central to how Europe manages its plastic waste, and the industry continues to express genuine commitment to making chemical recycling work at scale. What the sector needs is the assurance that the regulatory framework will hold. We urge the European Commission and Member States to stay the course on PPWR implementation.”
Valentijn De Neve, CRE President
About Chemical Recycling Europe
Chemical Recycling Europe (CRE) is the European trade association representing companies active in chemical recycling technologies. CRE advocates for the enabling conditions necessary to scale chemical recycling as a complement to mechanical recycling, contributing to Europe’s circular economy and packaging waste targets.
Media Contact
Chemical Recycling Europe Secretariat
Federica Gallicchio
Federca.gallicchio@pceu.eu
