Technical issues with DIWASS are causing operational disruptions because market participants are unable to submit notification requests for exports to Turkey and other third countries. The European Waste Management Association (FEAD) has now issued a statement referencing feedback from the European Commission.
The foundational technical standards for the digital product passport (DPP) are in place. At the international conference DPP4EU 2026 (June 1-3, Brussels), experts are presenting the newly published European standards to a broad industry audience and discussing concrete steps toward implementation.
The Hubs4Circularity (H4C) Community of Practice has concluded its two Horizon Europe projects - H4C Europe and H4C ECoP - with a final conference held on May 27, 2026, in Brussels. Around 150 representatives from industry, policy, research, and regional administration attended the event to review results and discuss the future of the initiative.
In a joint open letter addressed to Executive Vice President Stéphane Séjourné and Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, a coalition of European recycling associations and companies has called on the European Commission to reconsider any potential export restrictions on recycled aluminium scrap. The letter, dated May 28, 2026, was coordinated by Recycling Europe and signed by dozens of companies and national associations from across the EU.
Herbold Meckesheim is strengthening its offering of used machinery for the plastics recycling industry. The portfolio includes granulators, shredders, pulverizers, plastcompactors, and washing line components such as friction washers and dryers. Depending on configuration and availability, many machines can be delivered at short notice.
The circular economy is considered the key to resource conservation, climate neutrality and a secure supply of raw materials to industry. But one central problem remains unsolved so far: For many metal streams, there is a lack of reliable data on quantities, qualities and actual recycling paths. The analysis "Data requirements for a successful circular economy" by the Federal Environment Agency and the Ger-man Mineral Resources Agency shows that there are considerable information gaps along the entire val-ue chain.
The United Nations' Global Environment Outlook 7 describes the environmental crises of our time with unusual clarity, assigning a key role to the circular economy. Waste, materials and material flows no longer appear as marginal issues of environmental policy, but as central lev-ers for climate, resource and biodiversity protection. The article classifies the core messages of the report and shows why high-performance material and waste systems are becoming the strategic infrastructure of a sustainable economy.
CCU and CCS are considered essential instruments for achieving climate targets, especially in industries that are difficult to decarbonize. However, the effort required to install such systems is high, as is the energy consumption. In the study "CCU Technologies: Status Quo and Future Prospects", the think tank Industrial Resource Strategies investigated whether decentralized and less energy-intensive CCU pro-cesses can be used. The focus is less on the direct contribution to the climate and more on the develop-ment of competitive technologies.
The European Commission has announced a law on the circular economy for the third quarter. Now the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has also commented on this. In the report "The EU Circular Economy Act-Key policy levers for Europe's Industrial Strategy", the organisation has outlined its ideas for the law.
As the study "Including Incineration in the EU-ETS: Potential Impact on Landfilling" by Dr. Dominik Hogg on behalf of Zero Waste Europe shows, the concern about a return to landfilling due to the inclusion of waste incineration in emissions trading is largely unfounded. Rather, existing regulatory restrictions, ris-ing landfill levies and structural market conditions determine the actual material flow shifts. The CO₂ price acts as an additional, but not dominant, control mechanism.
The demand for high-quality recyclates is increasing faster than the supply. Sorting, recycling and pro-cessing are becoming strategic bottleneck factors. According to the study "Waste recycling in Germany: The investment opportunity in the German recycling industry" by KPMG, new opportunities are opening up for investors and industry at the same time.
Plastics recycling remains a problem in the circular economy. According to researchers at Pforzheim Uni-versity of Applied Sciences, however, this does not necessarily have to stay that way. In the study "Waste Management 2.0 - Plastics Circular Economy of the Future - Challenges and Solutions", they analysed what should be done better. The study is part of the präziSort research project.
European waste policy is at a turning point. Despite extensive regulation and increas-ing recycling rates, significant amounts of residual waste remain that are landfilled or incinerated, thus affecting both climate and resource targets. The report "Marginalis-ing waste: A trade scheme to reduce residuals", prepared by Dr. Dominic Hogg for Reloop and Zero Waste Europe, examines the conception of an EU-wide cap-and-trade system for municipal residual waste as an innovative management tool.
Circle Economy's "Circularity Gap Report 2026 - The Value Gap" emphasizes that global resource produc-tivity has not been increasing for a decade. More and more material is being used without any real effi-ciency gains. The current Circularity Gap Report therefore no longer focuses on the use of secondary raw materials. Rather, it examines the extent of avoidable loss of value due to linear and inefficient economic practices.
The Single-Use Plastics Directive (SEA Directive) requires Member States to report regularly on their activities. Now the European Commission has published the first figures for 2022.
India's recycled PET (r-PET) industry is operating well below capacity, even as a government mandate requires food-grade PET packaging to contain 40% recycled content in the 2026-27 fiscal year. According to Goutham Jain, Director General of APR Bharat (Association of PET Recyclers), 20-25% of the country's r-PET production capacity is currently idle due to insufficient demand from packaging brands and users.
World crude steel production for the 69 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (Worldsteel) was 153.4 million tonnes (Mt) in April 2026, a 1.9% decrease compared to April 2025.
The facility will replace the current recycling plant, which entered operation in 2006. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2027. During the building phase, recycling operations at the existing site will continue without interruption.
The report presents updated data on circular plastics production, conversion, consumption, trade flows and waste management across Europe. It shows that annual growth in circular plastics production fell from 13.6 percent in 2022 to 1.2 percent in 2024. Total circular plastics output reached 8.7 million tonnes, representing 15.8 percent of overall plastics production in Europe. By comparison, global circular plastics production accelerated from 5 percent to 7.7 percent annual growth during the same period.
EREMA has received the Plastics Recycling Award Europe 2026 for its VOLEX technology, which improves degassing performance in mechanical plastics recycling.
