Exploring the environmental performance of alternative food packaging products in the European Union - Life cycle impacts of single-use and multiple-use packagingThe aims of this study are aligned with the EU’s objectives of reducing the impacts of packaging waste, in line with its ambition to transition to a circular economy and with the objectives of the proposal for a new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.Date released: 5 FEB 2024
Modelling plastic flows in the European Union value chain - Material flow analysis of plastic flows at sector and polymer level towards a circular plastic value chainThis study established a top-down mass flow analysis model (MFA) for the value chain of plastics in the EU27 2019, focusing on 9 sectors and 10 polymers.Date released: 18 NOE 2022
Plastics materials flows in the EU-27 and their environmental impacts - Unveiling the European plastic value chainIn 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.Date released: 30 JUL 2025
Estimating packaging placed on the market at national level - Packaging model updates version 2.0This report presents an updated methodology for estimating the mass of packaging materials placed on the market in EU Member States for food and beverages, home care, beauty and personal care, and pet food together covering roughly 75% of the European consumer packaging market.Date released: 06 JUL 2026
Estimating packaging placed on the market at national levelFactsheet accompanying the report presenting an updated methodology for estimating the mass of packaging materials placed on the market in EU Member States for food and beverages, home care, beauty and personal care, and pet food together covering roughly 75% of the European consumer packaging market.Date released: 06 JUL 2026
Modeling the EU plastic footprint: Exploring data sources and littering potentialDespite plastic being one of the most used materials globally, information about plastic flows in value chains is generally lacking.Date released: 30 March 2022
Exploring the EU plastic value chain: A material flow analysisThe accounting of plastic flows across the economy is pivotal to assess circularity of production and consumption and to define transitions scenarios at systems level. This study established a top-down mass flow analysis model for the EU27 (2019) plastic value chain, focusing on 9 sectors and 10 polymers.Date released: 25 OCT 2023
Combining MFA and LCA models to unveil the EU plastic value chain impactsPlastics value chains are complex, due to different feedstocks, sectors of applications and variety of end-use products. Material Flow Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment can be integrated to map the life cycle impacts associated with material flows along the plastic value chain. In this study, the environmental impacts of the entire European Union plastic value chain were evaluated for 9 sectors, from production to end-of-life with polymers-specific granular details and addressing 16 environmental impact categoriesDate released: 1 JUNE 2025
