Plastics have become an integral part of the modern economy, but their widespread production and consumption have significant environmental consequences, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Recent report elaborated A study by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), entitled "Plastics materials flows in the EU-27 and their environmental impacts", examines in detail the plastic material flows in the EU-27 for 2022 and their environmental impacts, with a focus on climate change. This study represents a key milestone in improving the granularity and detail of comprehensive overviews of plastic flows in the EU.

Key findings on greenhouse gas emissions

A comprehensive life cycle analysis (LCA) revealed that total greenhouse gas emissions across the entire EU-27 plastics value chain in 2022 reached 252.1 Mt CO2 eq.This value represents approximately 14 % of the total impacts of global plastic production, as estimated by OECD studies.

The most significant drivers of overall impacts are stages of plastic production and processing, which together account for a significant 58.0 % of total emissions in the climate change category. Specifically, production generates 113.0 Mt CO2 eq. and processing 33.2 Mt CO2 eq. The plastics trade also has a significant impact, especially imports, which contribute 86.6 Mt CO2 eq., representing 34.3 % of total value chain emissions in this category. The remaining emissions also come from waste treatment, with incineration alone contributing 15.6 Mt CO2 eq.

Sectoral contributions and impact per capita

The packaging sector, which dominates plastic consumption (33.9 % of total plastic consumption in the EU), is also the largest contributor to overall environmental impacts, accounting for approximately 29 % of total emissions across the plastics value chain.

By translating the total impacts per EU-27 resident in 2022, study estimated approximately 564.3 kg CO2 eq. per personThis means that for every kilogram of plastic consumed (which was approximately 139.4 kg per person in 2022), about 4.0 kg of CO2 eq. was released.

Recycling vs. Incineration: Climate and Other Impacts

The study highlights that despite the increasing capacity of recycling facilities, incineration and landfilling still dominate in plastic waste management in the EU-27. Although mechanical recycling is the main recycling route (97.7 % of recycled plastic), its climate benefits are still marginal compared to total emissions. Recycling brought net savings -5.9 Mt eq. CO2, while plastic incineration generated 15.6 Mt eq. CO2. This disparity is mainly due to the fact that a significantly larger amount of plastic waste is still incinerated (23.1 Mt) compared to the amount recycled (11.4 Mt).

However, it is important to note that while recycling brings clear savings in the climate change category, The benefits of energy recovery from incineration may outweigh the benefits of recycling in some other impact categories. (e.g. human toxicity – non-carcinogenic effects, or ionizing radiation). This underlines the complexity of environmental impact assessment and the influence of the choice of impact category on the interpretation of results.

Challenges and areas for improvement

The study identified several challenges and areas for improvement in data and modelling. Due to the lack of a standardised methodology or specific datasets, life cycle analysis (LCA) on climate impacts was excluded bio-plastics, plastic losses to the environment and chemical recyclingBio-plastics accounted for only 1.1 % of total plastic production in 2022, and chemical recycling processed only 2.3 % of the total amount of waste sent for recycling. There was also significant waste loss and mismanagement, representing 6.6 Mt (11.4 % of total EU production).

The findings highlight the need to improve data generation, collection and harmonisation, as well as the establishment of proper monitoring frameworks to assess the implementation of EU recycling targets and to promote the circularity of the plastic value chain. Improving data on the fate of recyclates and an overview of primary and secondary plastic imports are essential for a more accurate assessment of the EU's circularity and competitiveness.

This study provides crucial information for policymakers, researchers and stakeholders to identify areas for potential improvements and support the transition to a more sustainable plastics economy. JRi