Recycling and energy recovery of used plastics have been carried out on a very high level in Germany and are increasingly becoming an important economic factor. This conclusion is based on the results of the recently published study on the „Production, Processing and Recycling of Plastics in Germany in 2015“.

The main figures of the study for the year 2015 reveal that a total of around 18.5 million tons of plastic were produced in Germany last year. The study also states that 12.1 million tons were used to manufacture plastic products, adjusted according to imports and exports. The amount of plastic waste produced in the same year was 5.9 million tons, more than 99 percent of which was recovered as follows: 45 percent in mechanical recycling, one percent in feedstock recycling and 53 perfect in energy recovery. This study therefore yet again proves that Germany’s established market structures in the field of plastics recycling are functioning successfully and are fit for the future. This also explains the significant increase in material recycling alongside a drop in energy recovery at the same time.

The investigation, which is known as the „Consultic study“ in the industry and in politics, is conducted every two years and has been providing reliable facts and figures on the production, processing and recycling of plastics since 1998. It is conducted on behalf of the BKV Platform for Plastics and Recycling, PlasticsEurope Germany, the German Federal Association of Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Disposal (Bundesverband Sekundärrohstoffe und Entsorgung e.V. – bvse), the Association of Plastics and Rubber Machinery of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) and the German Industry Association for Plastics Packaging and Films (IK).

AGPU has been published a Consultic study for PVC material in cooperation with PlasticsEurope Germany and the BKV at greater intervals for many years. By doing so, it provides the PVC industry with information on the flow of its specific material based on the same methodology.