- Global growth: 5.7% CAGR (volume)
- Food and drinks account for largest share of PCR
- PET has majority market share at 65%
PCR plastic use in packaging is growing but failing to keep pace with 2030 legislative targets – particularly the EU’s PPWR and SUPD requirements – while EPR schemes in Asia and North America are also delivering limited progress. The core problem is a self-reinforcing cycle: PCR costs around a third more than virgin plastic, suppressing demand and discouraging investment in recycling infrastructure, which in turn keeps recyclate scarce and prices high. Shifting political attitudes in the US are adding further uncertainty.
Breaking this cycle will require a coordinated push across several fronts: modernising mechanical recycling with AI and robotics, expanding chemical recycling for hard-to-recycle plastics, harmonising EPR reporting rules, scaling up Deposit Return Systems, promoting closed-loop recycling, and tackling contamination issues.
This report covers the full PCR packaging market to 2031, it gives plastics producers, recyclers, brand owners, retailers and policymakers the intelligence they need to identify growth opportunities, navigate evolving legislation, and future-proof their strategies before the 2030 deadlines arrive.
Key questions answered within this report
- Why is PCR plastic adoption falling short of 2030 targets, and what is driving the gap between current growth rates and legislative requirements across Europe, North America, and Asia?
- What are the most viable technological solutions that can break the cycle of high costs, weak demand, and insufficient recyclate supply?
- How should businesses and policymakers navigate the growing complexity of EPR legislation, shifting political attitudes, and compliance challenges to future-proof their PCR strategies before 2030 deadlines arrive?
Meet the expert behind the report
Philippa Davies has over 30 years of experience as a writer, editor and price reporter, specialising in commodities markets. She has been involved in monitoring, reporting on and analysing trends in chemical intermediates markets, including acrylic acid and esters, biomaterials, polyurethanes, and coatings for packaging, in the US, Asia and Europe. Philippa has authored a number of packaging reports for Smithers, including The Future of Moulded Pulp Packaging to 2030 and The Future of Sustainable Barrier Coatings to 2030. Her research has been used in other Smithers projects within the packaging, pulp and barrier coatings sectors.
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