In this report, a Material Flow Analysis (MFA) model was developed for the 2022 EU-27 plastic value chain. The MFA boundaries included all the key steps of the value chain from production to end-of-life and recycling, covering 9 sectors and 15 polymers. Specific plastic flows typically less explored in literature were studied, including plastic imports and exports along the value chain, plastic losses into the environment as well as plastic waste mismanagement. Notably, the granular data collected enabled the modelling of bio-based plastic and biodegradable plastics flows, together with the exploration of plastic chemical recycling processes. The variety of collected data at the level of polymers and sectors were combined to generate product-specific results, thoroughly discussing the associated modelling challenges. Further, the interactions with stakeholders, improved and deepened the knowledge of the various interlinkages of the EU plastic value chain and enabled a finer modelling of polymers-specific and sectors-specific flows. Additionally, the MFA was combined with a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), unveiling the value chain impacts across 16 impact categories, including but not limited to Climate Change. On top, a flexible and replicable methodology combining sectors-specific and polymers-specific estimates to obtain products-specific results was discussed. Such approach could also potentially be applied to other product-specific MFAs even beyond plastics. The LCA followed the Environmental Footprint 3.1 method recommended by the European Commission. Results underlined that the EU-27 plastic production amounted to 57.9 Mt in 2022, with only 1.1% of the total needs being covered by bio-based plastics. The results highlighted the dominance of the Packaging sector, being 33.9% of total plastic consumption. Despite 36.6 Mt of waste being properly collected (86% of waste generated), significant quantities of plastics were either lost or mismanaged along the value chain, accounting to 6.6 Mt (11.4% of the total EU production). The average EU-27 end-of-life recycling rate was 19.6%, mostly due to mechanical recycling activities (and a negligible contribution of chemical recycling). The LCA study revealed that more than 252 MtCO2 eq. were emitted along the life cycle of the 2022 EU plastic value chain, considering all flows connected to plastic consumption in the EU. The Packaging sector contributed to around 29% of the total impacts, with a striking importance attributable to the production and manufacturing stages (representing 79% of Climate Change impacts). This study represents a key milestone in improving granularity and details of complete overviews of plastic flows in the EU and the findings emphasizes the need for improved data generation, collection, harmonization, and the establishment of proper monitoring frameworks to assess the implementation of EU recycling targets and boost the circularity of the plastic value chain. The developed methodology offers a flexible tool potentially applicable to other value chains, even beyond plastics. This report provides insights for decision-makers, researchers, and other stakeholders to show areas for potential improvement and support the shift towards sustainable plastics.
