The recycled content of PET bottles rises to 58 percent - environmentalists warn of the disposable trend

Significantly more recycled plastic is used in the production of commercially available plastic bottles than before. As a study by the Society for Packaging Market Research (GVM) shows, the proportion of so-called recyclate in the plastic in PET beverage bottles was around 58 percent last year, around seven percentage points higher than in 2023. The value has been rising for a long time; in 2019 it was only around 34 percent and in 2021 it was already 45 percent.

The EU minimum target of 25 percent is clearly exceeded, and the tightening of the target to 30 percent planned for 2030 should not be a problem for Germany. The study was commissioned by the Plastic Packaging Industry Association (IK), which viewed the development of recyclate use as positive. The IK cites the improvement in the carbon footprint that companies are aiming for as one reason for the increase in the proportion of recyclate.

The abbreviation PET stands for the plastic type polyethylene terephthalate. It's about disposable plastic bottles with a 25 cent deposit, which are shredded after they are taken back and the plastic is later used for new PET bottles. And it's about reusable plastic bottles with a deposit of usually 15 cents in Germany, which are refilled after they are taken back and are therefore, in a sense, the equivalent of deposit bottles made of glass.

The recycling industry is calling for greater use of recyclate so that their business is worthwhile and Germany's climate footprint is improved somewhat. The industry association represents the interests of manufacturers of plastic packaging - i.e. the companies that buy from the recycling industry.

“Effective environmental policy requires a strong industrial base in the country,” said Isabell Schmidt from the IK, referring to the study. “Circular economy does not arise solely through legal requirements.”

Environmentalist is concerned about disposable trend

Environmentalists have a stomach ache when it comes to the issue. It is good that the recycled content of PET is increasing and that less oil is being used for new plastic, said Viola Wohlgemuth from German Environmental Aid (DUH). However, the proportion of recyclate is lower for other types of plastic - PET is, in a sense, just the flagship type of plastic that does not represent overall plastic consumption. In addition, the study should not distract from serious problems.

The trend is moving away from reusable bottles, said the environmentalist, referring to figures from the Federal Environment Agency. “Their share of beverages is only 34.5 percent and single-use plastic bottles continue to dominate the market, even though the packaging law specifies 70 percent reusable,” said Wohlgemuth. "The plastic from disposable bottles is melted down again and then reprocessed - that requires a lot of energy, so don't fool yourself."

Better than disposable PET bottles are reusable PET bottles, which can go through around 25 cycles - meaning they are refilled 25 times. Glass deposit bottles can even go through up to 50 cycles before they have to be melted down and become new bottles. “We cannot recycle our way out of the plastic crisis: the future must be reusable so that we can meet our resource and climate goals.”