The EU must urgently establish harmonised End-of-Waste criteria for chemical recycling or risk stalling investment and innovation in circular plastics, the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) has warned.
While Brussels is already advancing an Implementing Act to define End-of-Waste criteria for plastics from mechanical and solvent-based recycling, Cefic says chemical recycling is being left in a regulatory gap that threatens to fragment the market across Member States.
“The EU’s circular economy framework is evolving, but a critical gap remains,” the group notes, arguing that the current draft rules are too narrow and fail to reflect the specific characteristics of chemical recycling technologies and outputs.
According to Cefic, the lack of a unified EU approach has already led to inconsistent national interpretations of when waste ceases to be waste—creating uncertainty for operators and barriers to cross-border trade and investment.
The industry body stresses that chemical recycling is not a replacement for existing methods but a complementary route capable of processing complex and mixed plastic waste streams that cannot be handled mechanically or through solvent-based processes.
It says scaling these technologies will be essential for meeting EU circularity targets, increasing recycled content, and cutting emissions across value chains.
In its position paper, Cefic calls on the European Commission to establish harmonised End-of-Waste criteria for chemical recycling and act without delay to:
"Base End-of-Waste criteria for chemical recycling on the conditions of Article 6(1) of the Waste Framework Directive, ensuring a consistent and technology-neutral application across all chemical recycling routes.”
“Ensure that, once waste ceases to be waste, the resulting materials are subject to applicable product and chemicals legislation, which inherently provide robust quality assurance and traceability systems, thereby maintaining a high level of protection for human health and the environment without the need for additional control mechanism.”
“Recognise that End-of-Waste may be achieved at different stages of the chemical recycling route, where specification-controlled secondary raw material intermediates meeting Article 6(1) conditions are produced.”
"Adopt an output- and intended use approach grounded in Article 6(1) of the Waste Framework Directive.”
“Establish harmonised EU-wide End-of-Waste criteria for chemical recycling technologies to ensure the functioning of the internal market and provide regulatory certainty for investment.”
Cefic warns that without a dedicated EU framework, regulatory fragmentation will continue to slow innovation, disrupt supply chains, and delay investment in chemical recycling capacity across Europe.
