The Market For Recycled Polypropylene Plastics Has Exceeded 8 Million Tons
The market for recycled polypropylene plastics has exceeded 8 million tons
Global PP Recycled Plastic Market Breakthrough
The global recycled polypropylene (PP) plastic market has achieved a significant breakthrough, with its market size exceeding 8 million tons and an annual growth rate as high as 12%, far surpassing the 3% growth rate of virgin PP. Accounting for 28% of global plastic consumption, polypropylene, hailed as the "white gold," is undergoing a remarkable transformation from "white pollution" to "green recycling" through technological innovation and the synergistic effects of its industrial chain.
1. Market size growth
The global recycled polypropylene (PP) plastic market has surpassed 8 million tons, with an annual growth rate of up to 12%, far exceeding the 3% growth rate of virgin PP.
The market demonstrates significant development potential.
2. Technological innovation drives transformation
As the world's second-largest commodity plastic, polypropylene (PP) plays a significant role in various sectors such as packaging, automotive, and household appliances,
with a global production volume of 78 million tons in 2024. However, PP's low water absorption and high weather resistance have long posed considerable challenges for its recycling.
Traditional physical recycling methods can only produce low-value-added products, keeping the global PP recycling rate consistently below 15%. Yet, in 2023, this situation took a turn. Dutch company Circular Energy Gases successfully established the world's first tonnage-scale PP chemical recycling production line, converting waste materials like plastic woven bags and appliance casings into recycled monomers with a purity of up to 99.8% through pyrolysis technology. This breakthrough has shattered the industry's long-held notion that "high-quality PP is difficult to recycle.".
Examples of Industry Chain Collaboration and Application
Application in the automotive industry:
The synergistic effect of the industrial chain is gradually emerging. Automobile manufacturing giant BMW announced that starting from 2025, its electric vehicle battery packs will use 40% recycled PP,
which not only helps reduce product weight but also lowers its carbon footprint by 22%.
Innovation in the packaging industry
At the same time, Amco, a leader in the packaging industry, has also launched a food tray that uses 100% recycled PP,
effectively solving the problem of poor color of traditional recycled materials through supercritical fluid decolorization technology, and successfully entering the high-end dairy packaging market.
Development of the Chinese market and policy support
Large scale development:
In China, relevant enterprises are also promoting the large-scale development of PP recycled plastics. Jinfa Technology has established a 500000 ton per year recycled PP project, achieving a cross category cycle from plastic bottles to car bumpers. Haier Group, on the other hand, has established the industry's first "zero carbon factory", with a recycled PP usage rate of up to 65% for its washing machine inner drum.
Policy promotion:
In addition, policies are also promoting the development of the global PP recycled plastic market. The EU's Plastic Strategy requires that by 2025, the proportion of PP recycled materials used in all packaging must reach 30%, which has sparked billions of euros in investment from plastic industry giants such as Borealis and Sabic.
In China, Taizhou, Zhejiang, a pilot city for the construction of a "zero waste city", has built the world's largest PP recycling cluster and achieved closed-loop management of the entire process of "recycling cleaning granulation application" with the help of a blockchain traceability system, increasing the recycling and utilization rate of waste plastics to 75%.
Future prospects and potential
Sustainable Development and Circular Economy:
According to international organizations, if the global PP recovery rate can be increased to 40% by 2030, it will reduce 24 million tons of oil consumption and 68 million tons of CO ₂ emissions annually. This prediction shows that the development potential of the polypropylene recycled plastic market is enormous.
The green transformation of PP is essentially a victory of the circular economy concept. ”Dr. Maria, the President of IPRA, emphasized in her speech at the summit that "the synergistic effect of technological innovation, policy support, and market demand has made this plastic category, which was once considered the 'most difficult to recycle', gradually establish a model for the global plastic recycling system." With the continuous progress of the global "dual carbon" goal, the sustainable development path of PP recycled plastics is providing bright guidance for the entire plastic industry to explore circular economy models.
