The Belgian plastics sector is making progress in the areas of recycling and the circular use of materials. At the same time, production is under pressure. This is evident from the report *The Circularity of the Belgian Plastics Industry*, a joint initiative by Agoria, essenscia and Denuo.

Belgium is one of the European frontrunners in the sector. The country is Europe’s second-largest polymer producer and ranks second for plastics recycling, with a recycling rate of 41.3 per cent.

Since 2018, the recycling rate has risen by 60 per cent. The proportion of recycled plastics in new products increased from 6.5 per cent to 12.2 per cent over the same period. However, this proportion remains below the European average of 14.1 per cent. In addition, 57 per cent of collected plastic waste is still thermally treated, with heat recovery.

These developments are offset by a 14 per cent decline in Belgian plastics production since 2018. The automotive sector (-28 per cent) and the packaging sector (-17 per cent) in particular experienced a downturn. Competition from China is also increasing, with a rise in Belgian imports of polymers and plastic articles.

The report highlights the importance of improved waste collection and sorting, additional investment in recycling technologies, and regulations that support the further development of circular plastics.

The full report, *The Circularity of the Belgian Plastics Industry*, is available to IBE-BVI members on request HERE