The European association of plastics producers, Plastics Europe (Brussels; www.plasticseurope.org) has published the second edition of its report, titled Circular Economy for Plastics: A European Overview, which details the flow of plastics in Europe, specifically production, processing, consumption, waste management, recycling, and the use of reclaimed plastics in 2020.

The report states that last year, production of post-consumer recycled plastics increased 12% versus 2018, and their use rose 15% to 4.6 mn t. The amount of plastics waste sent to recycling facilities grew up to 8%, reaching a recycling rate of 35%. However, 65% of plastics waste still ended up in landfills or was incinerated across Europe.

Related: Report highlights difficulties facing recycling / European reclaim rate only 23%

For plastic packaging, the report said the recycling rate for Europe was 46%, up from 42% in 2018. Meanwhile, the amount of reclaimed material used in plastics packaging increased 43%. Additionally, the report highlights the data gap between plastics consumption and waste-collection figures – it is explained in part by durable plastics products still in use.

The producers’ association, however, concluded that the European plastics industry is headed in the right direction. Nevertheless, the report underlined that the trend towards a circular economy must be intensified to achieve medium- and long-term goals.