EU draft will delay recognition of rPET imports under SUPD rules

The European Commission has proposed new rules for calculating and verifying recycled content in single-use PET beverage bottles, introducing a two-year transition period before imported recyclate can count toward EU recycled-content mandates. According to ENDS Europe, confirmed by EUWID, rPET from third countries would not be eligible until late 2027. European recycling associations and several plastics and packaging manufacturers have argued that only post-consumer plastic waste from products placed on the EU market should qualify, as this approach better stimulates investment in European recycling technologies. The proposal is part of the Commission’s circular economy winter package, which also includes the long-awaited implementing act on mass-balance accounting for chemically recycled content. This act clarifies the practical application of the SUPD, expanding and replacing a 2023 decision that currently covers only mechanically recycled material.