In 2023, EU exports of recyclable products increased by 34%, while imports fell by 19%, with India, Turkey and the United Kingdom as the main trading partners.
In 2023, the European Union experienced notable growth in its exports of recyclable products, reaching 8.5 million tons. This represented an increase of 34% compared to the 6.4 million tons exported in 2022. However, in contrast to the increase in exports, imports of these recyclable products decreased by 19%, from 4 million tons in 2022 to 3.2 million tons in 2023.
In the long term, compared to 2013, total exports were down 5%, largely due to a 44% drop in plastic exports over the past decade. Meanwhile, imports remained stable at 3.2 million tonnes in the same period.
Paper was consolidated as the main recyclable product exported by the EU in 2023, representing 81.6% of all exports, with a volume of 7 million tons. In second place was plastic, with 15.6% (1.3 million tons), followed by glass, with 2.8% (0.2 million tons).
On the import side, paper also led in 2023 with 1.7 million tons, which represented 51.2% of imported recyclable products. Glass and plastic completed the picture with 25.4% (0.8 million tons) and 23.4% (0.7 million tons), respectively.
In terms of export destinations, India was the main recipient of EU recyclable paper in 2023, absorbing 32% of the total, followed by Indonesia (17%) and Vietnam (13%). Türkiye stood out as the main destination for recyclable plastic exports, with 22% of the total, followed by Malaysia (21%) and Indonesia (19%).
Recyclable glass, for its part, had the United Kingdom as its main destinations, which received 39% of exports, Moldova (10%) and Turkey (9%).
Regarding imports to the EU, the United Kingdom was the main supplier of recyclable products, representing 31% of imports of paper, 47% of plastic and 36% of glass. The United States was the second largest supplier of recyclable paper (29%) and also positioned itself as a major supplier of plastics and glass, while Switzerland and Norway also held key positions in imports of these products.
This 2023 balance sheet highlights changes in international trade in recyclable products in the EU, showing an upward trend in exports and a contraction in imports, all in the context of an evolving global market.
