Greenpeace: Turkey is the main destination for the EU's 503,000 tons of exported plastic waste in 2025
According to a Greenpeace Türkiye briefing, EU plastic waste exports rose 19% to 503,000 tons in 2025 with Turkey by far the largest destination; the organization calls for a permanent ban on plastic waste imports.
A report based on Greenpeace Türkiye's briefing "The Reality Behind the Rhetoric: The Hidden Side of Turkey's Zero Waste Policy" says the EU's plastic waste exports in 2025 were 503,000 tons, up 19% on the previous year. Turkey is by far the largest destination for this waste. The amount of plastic waste flowing from the EU-27 to Turkey has grown 435-fold since 2004.
Greenpeace Türkiye's demands (the position of a non-governmental organization, not an official regulation):
- An exception-free, permanent ban on plastic and textile waste imports
- Suspension of new petrochemical investments and a sector moratorium
- Binding targets for reducing plastic production at the source in national climate action plans
- Strict production limits in the UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations
The briefing also states that the global plastic recycling rate is about 9% and annual plastic production exceeds 400 million tons. Turkey will host COP31 in November 2026.
For related developments see our reports on the Antalya City Council's waste import demands and the European Commission's plastic waste shipment decision.
What does this mean for a molder?
Possible limits on waste imports could affect the supply and price of recycled (rPP, rPE, rPET) feedstock. If you use recycled material, tracking your supplier's feedstock source and changes in melt flow (MFI) makes it easier to keep the process setting stable.
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