The new study shows declines in the production, conversion and consumption of plastics, while at the same time the amount of recycled plastics has increased.
 

The study “Plastics Flow in Germany 2023 - Facts and Figures of the plastics value chain” conducted by Conversio Market & Strategy provides a comprehensive picture for plastics in Germany with data on production, conversion and consumption in the various application sectors, waste generation and recycling, as well as plastic recyclates and utilistation of by-products. The study was commissioned by BKV GmbH with the support of AVK – Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e. V., BDE Bundesverband der Deutschen Entsorgungs-, Wasser- und Kreislaufwirtschaft e. V., bvse – Bundesverband Sekundärrohstoffe und Entsorgung e. V., FSK – Fachverband Schaumkunststoffe und Polyurethane e. V., GKV – Gesamtverband Kunststoffverarbeitende Industrie e. V., IG BCE Industriegewerkschaft Bergbau, Chemie, Energie, IK – Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e. V., KRV – Kunststoffrohrverband e. V., PlasticsEurope Deutschland e. V., pro-K Industrieverband langlebige Kunststoffprodukte und Mehrwegsysteme e. V., TecPart – Verband Technische Kunststoff-Produkte e. V., VCI – Verband der Chemischen Industrie e. V., VinylPlus Deutschland e. V., VDA – Verband der Automobilindustrie e. V. and Fachverband Kunststoff- und Gummimaschinen in VDMA Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagebau e. V..
 
According to the study, total plastics production in Germany in 2023 consists of plastics based on fossil raw materials, recyclates and the utilisation of by-products. Overall, the production of plastic raw materials amounts to 11.4 million metric tons, thereof 8.8 million metric tons based on fossil raw materials , accounting for 77.6 percent of total plastic production. Compared to 2021 (10.7 million metric tons), this means an overall decline of 17.6 percent in fossil-based plastic production. The authors of the study attribute the decrease to a drop in the demand from the converting industry in Germany (e.g. in the packaging and construction sectors) and the relocation of production capacities abroad. In 2023, plastics conversion, including the use of recyclates and the utilisation of by-products, amounted to 12.8 million metric tons, compared to 14.0 million metric tons in 2021. This corresponds to an overall decrease of 8.5 percent. The figures varied depending on the industry sectors: in the automotive sector, a significant increase in automobile production in Germany compared to 2021 led to a step-up of 15.4 percent in the demand of the converters. In the packaging and construction sectors, significantly less plastic was converted between 2021 and 2023, with decreases of 12.3 and 17.3 percent respectively. As a result, the use of fossil raw materials in conversion also declined, falling nominally by 5.8 percent per year from 2021 to 2023. According to the study, this is, on the one hand, due to the overall decline in conversion in the aforementioned industry sectors and, on the other hand, to the fact that an increasing amount of 1.93 million tons of recyclates were used in new products.
 
In 2023, 5.9 million metric tons of plastic waste has been recorded. The majority (5.6 million metric tons) was post-consumer waste, and 0.3 million metric tons came from plastic production and conversion, known as post-industrial waste. Of the total amount of waste, around 2.24 million tons were recycled mechanically and 3.61 million tons were treated by energy recovery. Around 0.02 million tons managed by feedstock recycling and 0.01 million tons by chemical recycling.
 
The production of recyclates from the treatment of household and commercial end-user waste totalled 2.01 million metric tons. Taking into account the foreign trade balance, the amount of recyclates for the market supply with plastic was 1.93 million metric tons, thereof 1.54 million metric tons from recycled post-consumer waste and 0.39 million metric tons from recycled industrial waste. According to the study, the recyclates are mainly used in the building and construction industry, in packaging sector, and in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. In addition, 0.5 million tons of by-products from production and processing were utilised for plastics conversion. Thus, the share of non-fossil raw materials – recyclates and by-products with 2.43 million tons – from the demand of plastic converters (12.85 million tons) amounts to around 19 percent. This represents a significant increase compared to 2021 with 16 percent.
 
Sources:

• BKV GmbH (21.11.2024)
• Photo: © Freepik