EU Commission sets out rules for counting the chemically recycled content

Portrait photo of Jessika Roswall

The EU Commission’s implementing decision sets out a standardised methodology for counting chemically recycled plastics.


On 30 June 2026, the European Commission adopted the new rules on the recycling of single-use PET beverage bottles. According to the Commission, this establishes, for the first time, a method for calculating, verifying and reporting the chemically recycled content. The rules are intended to ensure transparency in order to create a level playing field and investment certainty for the plastics recycling sector. According to the Commission, the requirements can be applied to any recycling technology, including chemical and mechanical processes, and are intended to help Member States achieve the recyclate content target set out in the Single-Use Plastics Directive. According to the implementing decision, only recyclate from post-consumer plastic waste may be counted towards the quotas. For chemical recycling processes, the Commission stipulates the use of a mass balance method based on the ‘fuel-use excluded’ principle. Only the proportion of chemically recycled raw materials that is actually reincorporated into plastic products may be counted towards the recycled content target. Material streams used for the production of fuels or for energy recovery are therefore excluded from the calculation. Recyclers must have their calculations of chemical recycling rates certified annually by an independent body. The Commission justifies the regulations on chemical recycling on the grounds that chemical processes can complement mechanical recycling when plastic waste cannot be effectively recycled mechanically due to contamination such as food residues, additives or mixed materials. The aim is to return more plastic waste to the circular economy, including for products that must meet high quality standards, such as food packaging, it adds.
 
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for the Environment, Resilient Water Supply and a Competitive Circular Economy, emphasises: “With clearer rules on the proportion of chemically recycled material, we are giving the industry the certainty it needs for investment and innovation. This is a concrete step towards supporting the sector in complementing mechanical recycling and driving forward innovative technologies such as chemical recycling. This will strengthen our competitiveness and keep Europe on track towards a circular economy.”
 
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