Study finds Europe short 455,000 tonnes of PET tray recycling capacity
A study by Forum Rezyklat, an association founded by dm drogerie markt, finds Europe lacks 455,000 tonnes of annual recycling capacity for PET trays against 823,900 tonnes of semi-rigid PET packaging placed on the EU market in 2024. The report, the first phase of a wider assessment of tray-to-tray recycling, concludes that recycling technology is already commercially available but sorting infrastructure, input material quality and plant economics remain the constraints. The findings bear on the feasibility of recycled-content and design targets under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
Why this mattersA confirmed capacity gap this large signals investment risk for converters and recyclers racing to meet PPWR recycled-content and collection targets for PET trays.
- The study covers Phase 1 of "PET Tray Recycling: Current Situation, Challenges and Future Scenarios", published in July 2026 by Forum Rezyklat, founded by dm drogerie markt.
- EU consumption of semi-rigid PET packaging reached 823,900 tonnes in 2024, with Germany at 144,000 tonnes, Italy at 121,600 tonnes and France at 116,700 tonnes.
- Of that volume, 541,000 tonnes was mono-layer PET and 282,900 tonnes multi-layer PET, the latter roughly a third of the market and higher for food trays.
- The study identifies a 455,000 tonne annual gap between PET tray volumes and current recycling capacity.
- Mechanical PET recycling technology is judged commercially mature; the bottlenecks are sorting, input material quality, capacity, packaging design and plant economics.
- Multi-layer PET/PE or PET/PE/EVOH trays require layer separation before recycling, adding processing steps and cost.