10/11/2025
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
111 Industry Leaders “Ring the Bell for Recycling” — Warning EU: Without fixing recycling economics, circular plastics will fail
Brussels, 7 November 2025 — More than 110 organisations from across Europe’s plastics value chain have united to deliver a clear message to the European Commission: Europe’s recycling industry is collapsing under the weight of broken market economics.
The Industry Statement, part of the Ring the Bell for Recycling campaign led by Searious Business, was presented today to officials at DG Environment. It urges policymakers to act swiftly to close the widening gap between virgin and recycled plastic prices — a gap that is forcing recyclers out of business and threatening Europe’s circular economy ambitions.
“If plastic recycling is not a viable commercial prospect, it cannot solve the pollution crisis or help us achieve our climate ambitions— it is doomed to fail,” said Willemijn Peeters of Searious Business, the circular plastics company behind the campaign.
The campaign began in response to a wave of recycling businesses closing across Europe, despite billions of euros invested in new infrastructure in recent years. It reflects a growing industry alarm that, without urgent intervention, Europe’s recycling capacity will disappear long before the PPWR or the Global Plastics Treaty take effect.
Originally conceived as a visual statement at K-Messe 2025 — featuring a high striker that let visitors literally “Ring the Bell for Recycling” — the campaign has since resonated globally, drawing positive feedback from recycling associations in the US, UK, South Africa, and India.
“Recyclers cannot afford to wait for policy timelines — they need action now,” Peeters added. “Without consistent demand and fair market conditions, Europe’s recycling base will collapse — and with it, the foundation of a circular economy.”
The 111 signatories call for the EU to:
• Fix the cost imbalance between virgin and recycled plastics;
• Guarantee recyclers’ profitability and consistent demand through fairer, recycler-supportive market mechanisms;
• Strengthen import and quality standards; and
• Ensure the PPWR delivers a truly circular, competitive
European recycling market.
As the EU prepares to implement the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the world moves toward a Global Plastics Treaty, signatories stress that recycling viability must be central to both agendas.
“We all know that recycling alone can’t solve the plastic pollution crisis,” said Willemijn Peeters, CEO of Searious Business. “But it remains a vital pillar of circularity — and right now, that pillar is wobbling. Unless Europe creates stable, long-term demand for recycled content, we’ll be left with ambition on paper, and plastic in the environment.”
About the Campaign
Ring the Bell for Recycling – The Elephant in the Room is an industry-driven campaign launched by Searious Business to highlight the economic pressures threatening Europe’s recycling industry. The campaign unites over 110 organisations calling for urgent policy action to ensure recycling remains viable and competitive.
Read the full statement and list of signatories:
👉 https://www.seariousbusiness.com/elephant-in-the-room
Press contact:
Emma Samson
Searious Business
📧 emma@seariousbusiness.com
🌐 www.seariousbusiness.com
