European Commission
Research and innovation
RMIS – Raw Materials Information System
material flow analysis   circular economy   sectors   supply chain analyses   trade   
Modelling plastic flows in the European Union value chain

Modelling plastic flows in the European Union value chain

In 2022, the JRC published a report aimed at establishing a mass flow analysis model (MFA) for the whole value chain of plastics in European Union (EU27) for the year 2019, from pellets production to end-of-life plastic management and secondary plastics production.

This model is currently being revised for a more recent reference year (i.e., EU27 2022), updated and expanded for instance to explicitly account for emerging flows (e.g., biobased and biodegradable plastics) and recycling technologies (e.g., chemical recycling). The system boundary of the present study includes all the main steps involved in the life cycle of the plastics, from pellets production to end-of-life (EOL) management. Sector-specific MFA models were prepared via a top-down approach, addressing packaging, construction, transport, Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE), agriculture, textiles and clothing, healthcare, fishing, and “other”. For each sector, the polymers-flows were detailed, including fossil-based polymers (e.g., low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), etc.) and bio-based polymers (e.g., bio-PP, bio-Polyurethane, etc.).

Towards establishing and updating the MFA 2022 model, a workshop was organized on the 9th April, launching a stakeholder consultation on the 2019 JRC MFA, towards collecting feedbacks and inputs for the review and improvement of the model.

The Sankey Diagram presented in this webpage includes the latest findings related to the EU27 2022 MFA and details sector-specific flows for the whole plastic value chain, including data retrieved during the stakeholder consultation and complementary literature/statistics information. This Diagram represents a ‘living organism’ that will be updated and enriched in the forthcoming steps of this work.

Abbreviations and acronyms: Virg.Poly.: Virgin polymers; Bioplast.: Bioplastics; Manuf.: Manufacturing; Prod.: Production; Pre-cons.W.: Pre-consumer waste; Microp.: Microplastics; Macrop.: Macroplastics; Consump.: Consumption; W.Coll.: Waste collected; Prep.Reuse: Prep. To Reuse and Reuse; W.Gen.: Waste generated; Mism.W.: Mismanaged Waste; Mix.W.: Mixed waste; Sep.W.: Separated waste; Mech.Recy.: Mechanical Recycling; Chem.Recy.: Chemical Recycling; Recyc.: Recyclates; Incin.: Incineration; Landf.: Landfill; Pack.: Packaging sector; Build.: Building sector; Trans.: Transport sector; EEE: Electronics sector; Agri.: Agriculture sector; Text.: Textiles sector; Recoll.: Recollected; Uns.Landf.: Unsanitary Landfill; Recyc.Poly.: Recycled polymers; Imp.Poly.: Import primary; Imp.Prod.: Import Products; Manuf.Loss.: Losses manufacturing; Consump.Loss.: Losses consumption; Imp.W.: Import waste; W.Loss.: Losses waste; Mism.Loss.: Losses mismanaged; Incin.Loss.: Losses Incineration; Landf.Loss.: Losses Landfill; Exp.Poly.: Export primary; Exp.Prod.: Export Products; Exp.W.: Export waste