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EU Recycling Rate Inches Up, but Challenges Remain
A Eurostat report reveals a slow increase in recycled materials used in the EU economy, with challenges from increased imports and France lagging behind.
French
France
EconomyClimate ChangeEuropean UnionEuEnvironmentInternational TradeRecyclingImports
EurostatInec (Institut National De L’économie Circulaire)European Commission
Hugo Conzelmann
- How did France's circularity rate change between 2021 and 2023?
- France's circularity rate, the proportion of recycled raw materials used in industrial production, decreased from 20% to 17% between 2021 and 2023. This drop in the ranking, from 3rd to 6th place in the EU, highlights France's underperformance compared to its neighbors.
- What is the EU's 2030 target for recycled materials in production?
- The European Union's recycling industry is facing challenges in its efforts to reach its 2030 target of 23.2% recycled materials in production. Increased imports of raw materials from China, the US, and Russia are hindering the competitiveness of recycled materials 'made in Europe'.
- Which countries in the EU show high rates of recycled material use?
- While some EU countries like the Netherlands and Italy show high rates of recycled material use (30.6% and 20.8% respectively), overall progress toward the EU's 2030 goal remains slow and impacted by factors such as increased imports of cheaper raw materials from other countries.
- What was the rate of recycled products in the European economy in 2023?
- The rate of recycled products in the European economy increased slightly in 2023, reaching 11.8%, up from 11.5% in 2022. This is according to a recent Eurostat report, which notes that progress has been marginal over the past five years.
- What factors are hindering the competitiveness of the European recycling industry?
- According to Hugo Conzelmann of the French National Institute for the Circular Economy (INEC), the influx of raw materials, both virgin and recycled, from China since the COVID-19 pandemic is destabilizing already established European recycling sectors. This undermines the competitiveness of European recycled materials.