“Recyclates are no longer a compromise – they are strategic raw materials.”
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From Waste Management to Resource Strategy
The industry’s language is slowly but steadily shifting – and with it, the mindset. What used to be framed as waste management is now understood as resource management.
Brands and manufacturers are asking new questions:
- How can we increase recycled content without compromising performance?
- How can we secure stable, high-quality supply?
- How do recyclates contribute to our climate and ESG goals?
At the same time, structural challenges remain. Quality and supply consistency vary across Europe. Regulatory frameworks are evolving. Investments in advanced sorting and recycling technologies must remain economically viable even in volatile raw material markets.
Yet the direction is clear: circularity is becoming part of long-term business resilience.
Closing the Performance Gap
One of the biggest reservations remains performance. Can recycled plastics truly match virgin materials?
Through advanced sorting technologies, specification-driven processing and ongoing R&D, high-quality recyclates can now meet demanding requirements in many applications, including polyolefin streams derived from household collection systems.
Still, not every fraction is suitable for every high-performance use case. The goal is not total substitution, but consistent narrowing of the performance gap.
Data as the Second Quality Dimension
With instruments such as the Digital Product Passport, traceability is becoming standard practice. Beyond mechanical properties, documented origin, recycled content and carbon footprint data are gaining strategic importance.
For recyclers, this means material quality alone is no longer sufficient. Trust is built through verifiable data, certified processes and transparent supply chains. Quality and data are becoming increasingly inseparable.
Mechanical and Chemical Recycling: Defined Roles, Shared Goals
Mechanical and chemical recycling are often framed as competing technologies. In reality, they serve complementary functions.
Mechanical recycling is highly efficient for well-sorted, homogeneous streams. Chemical recycling provides solutions for mixed or contaminated fractions that cannot be processed mechanically at scale.
An integrated approach – combining advanced sorting, mechanical processing and complementary chemical pathways – maximizes recycling output and reduces incineration.
Patrick, how has the customer mindset evolved in the last few years? Are manufacturers and brands viewing recycled plastic as a strategic raw material?
We are increasingly observing a shift. Recyclates are more and more viewed as strategic raw materials rather than by-products. Brands are actively exploring how to integrate recycled content while maintaining technical reliability and achieving sustainability targets. Even though challenges remain, circularity is increasingly becoming part of long-term competitiveness and recycled content is understood as a way to unlock value.
How close are we to overcoming quality concerns?
We are making steady progress. In many applications, recyclates can deliver comparable performance to virgin materials. Reproducible quality, technical documentation and supply stability are key factors.
Interzero’s procyclen® can meet the same kinds of rigorous requirements historically expected of virgin plastics, meaning brands can design products with confidence.
At the same time, we must remain realistic. Certain high-performance applications will continue to rely on virgin materials. Our focus is on continuously expanding the range of viable applications.
How important is data transparency?
Data is becoming just as important as physical performance. Origin, recycled content and carbon footprint data are becoming key strategic decision-making criteria. The Digital Product Passport will make such information systematically available. Transparency builds trust and enables compliance.
Mechanical and chemical recycling – competitor or complement?
Definitely complementary. Mechanical recycling remains the backbone for monomaterial streams such as PE, PP and PET fractions. Chemical recycling unlocks additional volumes from complex mixed fractions and supports Europe in handling the full spectrum of plastic waste more effectively. Moreover, it allows us to capture value from waste that would otherwise be lost.
Are recyclates developing an independent value proposition beyond oil price volatility?
This is an important question, and I do think we’re moving in the right direction – even if we’re not fully there yet. CO₂ savings, regulatory mandates and mandatory recycled-content targets are creating structural demand. In many cases, recyclates are becoming a licence to operate in the European market.
But the market has not decoupled from oil price volatility yet, especially in times of low crude oil prices. Therefore, economic pressure on recyclers remains significant. However, the intrinsic value of recyclates is increasingly defined by climate impact and compliance rather than price parity alone.
Patrick Neumann will also be speaking on this topic at the Go Circular Conference in Mannheim, taking place from 24 to 26 March 2026.
