Interview with Antonello Ciotti, president of Petcore Europe, representing the PET value chain.
As you prepare for the Petcore Europe 2026 annual conference, what is top of mind for the industry?
The subject at the forefront of everyone’s mind right now is how to restore the competitiveness of PET manufacturing in the EU. Currently we face challenges on several fronts, starting with the price of oil. European PET producers using virgin feedstock are finding themselves squeezed by non-EU manufacturers who are buying cheap oil at almost half the price that we have to pay. The war in Ukraine has compounded the problem and the situation has become unsustainable.
Industry partners in the recycling sector face similar challenges. Waste feedstock for recycling now costs almost 10 times more in the EU than it does in third countries. In the past, European producers could bridge the gap through technological advantage, but many of the non-EU recyclers have now caught up and have excellent technology too.
Unless something changes it will soon be impossible for European industry to regain competitiveness. We have already seen a contraction in Europe’s PET recycling capability of over one million tons per year, and it seems that almost every other week I read about a new plant closure.
This seems ironic as demand for recycled PET in Europe seems to be robust?
Well demand should be robust as EU regulation has mandated increasing levels of recycled content in PET packaging. Unfortunately, the way this regulation has been implemented is quite cloudy as in many EU States no penalty is applied when the target is not reached. Furthermore, we are not seeing a clear methodology applied in the way that recycled content is measured. So, demand is less than expected and is met mainly by non-EU producers.
If we don’t safeguard European autonomy over essential sectors such as PET, then we will lose our independence and risk reliance on outside partners. We only have to look at the disruption to the global supply chain caused by President Trump’s on and off tariffs to understand the drawbacks of losing our ability to meet our needs from within our own borders. If we don’t get this right, then the whole circularity and future of Europe’s PET industry will be at stake. We need a clear level playing field.
So, what is the solution, and what do you need from EU policymakers?
Perhaps it is because I am an Italian myself, but I believe the Commission can draw great inspiration from Prof. Mario Draghi’s report on competitiveness. Everything that we at Petcore Europe are demanding is in line with his recommendations, and we are urging the EU institutions to act swiftly and decisively.
We can’t expect global companies to keep producing and recycling in Europe when they could just channel everything through their facilities outside of the EU at a fraction of the price. Responding to this challenge effectively is fundamental and key to the survival of the European PET industry.
Petcore Europe is working to engage various EU departments to tackle these issues. We are calling for stronger collection schemes for PET so that we can capture more material and feed it back into the system. We will hit the 77% target set for PET bottles by the end of this year, but we need to go further.
We are also currently in discussion with DG TAXUD about introducing a new TARIC code that will enable recycled material coming into the EU to be tracked. We need to understand the composition of what is arriving in the Union and have proof that whatever is declared has a reality check. Non-EU suppliers need to provide greater evidence to match the two basic EU requirements of recycled material for food contact: it has to come from differentiated collection schemes, so no waste picking, and must collect at least 95% of containers used in food contact. Importers need this information to fulfil EU demands, and we need assurance of quality to protect downstream users and consumers.
We are also doing a lot with the EU institutions to address some of the potential restrictions on PET and misunderstandings that threaten our market. Take PET trays - used for packaging everything from meat to fruits and berries - under current plans they are facing a ban for ‘unprocessed fruit and vegetables’ by 2030. We are taking action to demonstrate that PET trays, just like PET bottles, are fully recyclable and reusable and play a role in a circular economy.
What does Petcore Europe’s Annual Conference 2026 have in store?
We have taken the need to restore the competitiveness of the European PET industry as our core theme and have a line-up of compelling speakers from right across the value chain. They will be drilling down into the detail of some of the challenges they are facing and what they are doing to address them.
I am excited to share that the conference is being sponsored by ICIS who are an invaluable knowledge partner. They will be making a number of presentations over the course of the two days and sharing global data and insights on trends.
And of course, for 2026 we are branching out from our usual Brussels location and holding the conference in Rome. This will allow us to attract local players and to hear from industry partners working on the ground in the markets.
Developments at EU level will continue to be an important part of the discussions , and our experts will look to unpack and explain what industry players can expect on the regulatory horizon and what it will mean for them. We will be joined by several representatives from the EU institutions - including DG Grow, DG Trade, DG ENV, EFSA who are based in Italy, the OLAF office and several other institutions.
Will the innovation sessions still take place?
Yes. This is our third year inviting partners to submit papers detailing innovative projects. It always proves to be a very stimulating session and provides a platform for partners up and down the value chain to present the developments that they are working on and give the audience a glimpse of what lies ahead in the future.
The conference has become a key feature on the PET industry calendar, and we always make sure that there is plenty of time for networking and discussion outside of the formal agenda, as well as a good proportion of interactive sessions where delegates can pose questions during panel discussions. In this respect, we pride ourselves on being an in-person conference, not hybrid.
What is the message that you hope people will come away with from the conference?
The need for our industry to address both circularity and competitiveness. This is my message to regulators too. We need clear rules to be applied to implement circularity in the EU and we need to urgently address the cost of energy within the EU27 to better align it with the costs outside of Europe.
These two points are mission critical for our sector and for the EU’s capacity to continue to produce essential materials like PET within its borders.
