Chemical recycling plants closing in EU and US
By 
Angeli Mehta2026-07-23T12:57:00
Firms aiming to break down and re-make plastics are struggling with economic feasibility and environmental impact
The nascent chemical recycling industry – in which plastics are broken down into oils or constituent monomers to be remade into new materials – is contracting across Europe and the US as recyclers call for policy stability to make the industry investable.
Recent closures, postponements or project cancellations ‘reflect the broader structural crisis facing the whole of Europe’s plastics recycling industry (both mechanical and chemical),’ says Maria Vera Duran, policy director at industry body Recycling Europe.