EU adopts new recycling rules for PET bottles and vehicle circularity

The European Commission introduced new rules on Tuesday for calculating and reporting recycled content in single-use PET plastic beverage bottles, specifically addressing chemical recycling methods. These regulations, part of a December 2025 package, apply to both chemical and mechanical recycling to ensure consistent market standards and investment security. Environment Commissioner Jessica Roswall stated these rules aim to boost industry competitiveness and innovation. Separately, the EU Council approved a regulation on Monday to mandate circular design requirements for the automotive sector. This regulation requires that within six years, 15% of plastic in new vehicles must be recycled material, rising to 25% within ten years, with 20% of that sourced from end-of-life vehicles. Manufacturers now bear extended producer responsibility for end-of-life vehicle management. Furthermore, the measures tighten traceability to combat the export of non-roadworthy vehicles and prevent the rise of missing or untraceable end-of-life cars.