Alpla: Brand Owners’ Reduced Recycled Content Targets Put Pressure on Recycling Market

Alpla sees demand for recyclates coming under pressure as brand owners scale back their voluntary recycled content targets. Georg Lässer, Director Business Development, Procurement and Sales Recycling, explains in a press release published by yes or no Media that some companies are reducing their targets from 50 percent to 30 percent, or even to zero. This has eliminated demand for several thousand tonnes of recyclates. The publication does not name any specific brand owners.

Lässer identifies costs as a key factor. According to his assessment, recyclate prices in Europe are 20 to 50 percent higher than those of virgin plastics. He also points to a lack of planning certainty for investments and what he considers insufficient enforcement of European regulations.

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Lässer sees another obstacle to plastics recycling in the collection of used packaging. While the PET recycling segment remains relatively stable, HDPE and PP recycling are under pressure due to more complex sorting requirements and low-priced virgin plastics. Alpla continues to invest in sorting technologies, AI-assisted quality control, decontamination and digitalisation.

Alpla remains committed to its own recycling capacity expansion targets. According to a company announcement dated 15 January 2026, the share of post-consumer recyclate (PCR) in its total plastics consumption is set to increase to 30 percent by 2030. Its installed and planned annual recyclate output capacity is expected to grow from 400,000 to 700,000 tonnes. Starting in 2026, the company is allocating EUR 15 million annually to its recycling operations.

In the field of food-grade HDPE recyclate, Alpla is collaborating with the independent technology institute NTCP. As the company announced in December 2025, a patented solvent-based recycling process is being tested over a four-year period at a pilot plant in Heerenveen, the Netherlands. The project aims to lay the groundwork for industrial-scale implementation, with approval from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as a key objective.

More information: www.alpla.com

Alpla Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH & Co KG, Hard, Austria

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