Lithium-ion battery fires are becoming a major safety threat for recycling facilities, prompting CDRA to focus its June 30 safety meeting on prevention, preparedness and industrywide solutions.
Italy’s plastic recycling industry is facing a value crisis, not a volume crisis. While recycled plastic volumes increased to around 850,000 tonnes in 2025, sector turnover fell for the third consecutive year to €685 million. High energy costs, weak demand, cheap imports and competition from virgin polymers are squeezing margins, leaving many recyclers under severe pressure. PET remains the strongest segment thanks to mandatory recycled-content rules, but other polymers still lack stable market support.
Chemco Group has secured FSSAI approval to manufacture food-grade recycled PET (rPET) resin for food-contact packaging applications. The milestone strengthens India’s circular economy efforts and supports rising demand for compliant recycled packaging materials.
European recyclate prices surged in April 2026 as the US-Iran conflict disrupted petrochemical supply chains and increased feedstock costs. Buyers are resisting higher prices, while polymer markets remain volatile amid supply shortages and rising energy costs.
The U.S. recycled plastics market is facing a severe downturn as postconsumer resin demand collapses, reclaimers shut down and PET bales accumulate without buyers, raising urgent policy and investment concerns.
The U.S. recycled PET market faces collapsing bale prices, rising imports, plant closures, and weakening recycling rates, raising urgent questions about domestic circularity and policy reform.
