The figure represents an increase of 2% on the recycling rate recorded in 2021. Credit: milan noga via Shutterstock.

Steel for Packaging Europe, previously known as the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging, has announced a new milestone in steel packaging recycling, achieving an 80.5% rate in 2022.  

This figure, independently verified, represents a 2% increase from the previous year and marks steel as Europe’s most recycled packaging material.  

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The data, published by Steel for Packaging Europe, follows the EU’s announcement in December 2023 that the region’s steel packaging sector had met its 2025 recycling target four years early. 

The results also come after the European Parliament’s official adoption of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which introduces stricter recyclability measures and a performance grading system to phase out less recyclable materials by 2038. 

The accomplishment is a direct result of concerted efforts across the industry to maintain a 100% closed material loop. 

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Steel for Packaging Europe secretary general Steve Claus said: “Steel packaging’s ever-increasing recycling rates reflect the industry’s commitment to transparency and demonstrate why steel packaging is so well-aligned with the EU’s vision for a circular economy. 

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“I am proud that the newly published figures correspond to the amount of packaging that is actually recycled at the entrance of recycling operations and not merely the packaging which is collected.”

As the PPWR takes effect in the coming month, Steel for Packaging Europe is calling on EU institutions to maintain their ambitious approach to fostering a sustainable and circular future in Europe.  

Claus added: “I am particularly pleased that the new PPWR includes the establishment of design for recycling criteria, applicable to all packaging, and the introduction of a performance grading system with clear criteria.”