Headimage abstract

Study: Material Flow Analysis for Plastics in Germany 2019

Published in 2020. 114 pages. Price 450,- Euro (plus VAT).

-only available in German-

For the second time in a row, the newly published material flow analysis provides information on the extent to which the material is currently being recycled. In other words, in addition to data on the production and processing of new plastics, the study also provides data on the production and processing of recyclates. For the year 2019, an increase in the use of recycled plastics could also be determined at this point. Compared to 12.3 percent in 2017, 13.7 percent of the plastics processing volume was covered by recycled plastics in 2019. This means that the quantity used has increased by five percent per year since 2017, while the use of virgin material fell by two and a half percent in the same period. The recyclates were used in almost all market segments - from highly technical applications such as vehicle construction or the electrical/electronics sector, to the construction sector in particular (approx. 43 percent), in packaging (approx. 24 percent) and in agriculture (approx. 11 percent). In 2019, a total of around 2.9 million tons of the plastic waste produced in Germany was recycled. This means that the volume of mechanical recycling rose by 3.2 percent in a two-year comparison, which is mainly due to the increase in post-consumer waste.

Summary (in English)

1 MB, PDF