Europe, a 7% growth in the recycling of PET bottles

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57% Collection rate. Promising numbers for an expanding market. The figures, reported in 2014, come from Petcore Europe.

Steps forward for the beverage industry. The equivalent of 66 billion 1,5 litre PET bottles have been collected and recycled in 2014. This is 57% of what was put on the market. These figures are in a report published by Petcore Europe, the European association that represents all the actors in the PET chain.

“The collection and recycling of PET will continue to grow and become more and more successful in the next 25 years – said Patrick Peuch, executive director of Petcore Europe – It is the most recycled plastic material in Europe. However, we can do more and contribute to the circular economy of the Old Continent, especially now that the PET begins to have other applications.”

This data is only a preview: all the research results will be presented at the Petcore Europe Conference in Brussels on the 24th of November.

According to the association, the collection of PET bottles and containers in Europe in 2014 grew almost 7% compared to 2013 and reached a level of 1.8 million tons. Comparing this data with the estimated demand of 3.1 million tons of bottles and containers placed on the market in the same period, it’s possible to calculate a collection rate of 57%. In 2014, the same demand for PET has grown by 4.8%.

“Despite the fact that the collection rate has increased by 1.3 percent compared to 2013 – says Peuch – we still need to work with a dual approach: on one hand the industry has to align the collection processes to achieve more ambitious recycling targets, on the other hand the consumers must be more committed. The aim is to increase the consumers’ environmental awareness and the importance of recycling, especially according to Europe’s approach to the circular economy.”