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Europe Paper Recycling Holds at 76.4% as Recovered Paper Exports Rise
Europe recycled 76.4% of the paper and board consumed in 2025, matching the revised 2024 rate and remaining above the industry's 76% voluntary target for 2030. Collection and recycling volumes slipped slightly to 53.9 million tonnes, while net exports of recovered paper outside Europe increased 13.9%.
By Paul Ploumis
Published October 6, 2026
Summary Points
- Overall recycling rate: Europe recycled 76.4% of paper and board consumed in 2025, unchanged from the revised 2024 rate.
- Recovered volume: Paper and board collected and recycled declined 0.3% to 53.9 million tonnes.
- Consumption: European paper and board consumption fell 0.4% to 70.5 million tonnes.
- Domestic recycling: European mills used 46.3 million tonnes of Paper for Recycling, giving a domestic recycling rate of 65.8%.
- Exports: Net exports outside Europe totaled 7.5 million tonnes, equal to 14% of total collection and up 13.9% from 2024.
- Packaging: Paper and cardboard packaging continued to lead EU packaging recycling at about 87%.
MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): Europe's paper recycling system maintained a 76.4% recycling rate in 2025 as lower paper consumption was matched by a similarly modest decline in recovered-paper volumes, according to the European Paper Recycling Council.
The result covers paper and board products including graphic paper, packaging and tissue across the EPRC commitment region, which includes the EU-27, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland.
Europe remained above the paper value chain's voluntary 76% recycling target for 2030.
Behind the stable headline rate, however, the 2025 report shows an important shift in recovered-paper flows: European mills consumed less Paper for Recycling than the region collected, while net exports to markets outside Europe increased.
Europe Recycled 53.9 Million Tonnes of Paper and Board
The total amount of paper and board collected and recycled in 2025 declined 0.3% to 53.9 million tonnes.
Paper and board consumption fell at almost the same pace, declining 0.4% to 70.5 million tonnes.
Because recycling and consumption moved lower at broadly similar rates, the overall recycling rate remained unchanged at 76.4%.
EPRC defines the recycling rate as recycled used paper, including net trade in Paper for Recycling (PfR), divided by consumption of new paper and board.
SCRAPMONSTER EDGE
The 76.4% headline masks an important recovered-paper trade story. European mills used 46.3 million tonnes of PfR domestically, while 7.5 million tonnes of net recovered-paper exports moved outside the EPRC region. For recyclers and recovered-paper traders, that means overseas demand remains an important outlet even as Europe's overall recycling rate stays near record territory.
Why 2025 Is Described as Flat Versus 2024
The latest report also clarifies an apparent inconsistency with previously published data.
EPRC originally reported a 2024 paper recycling rate of 75.1%. The 2025 monitoring report now revises the final 2024 figure to 76.4%.
EPRC said figures may be adjusted after national associations and customs authorities submit updated data, particularly trade statistics. Those revisions are incorporated into the following year's monitoring report.
The Council also recomputed historical recycling rates using its revised methodology.
As a result, the final comparison now shows 76.4% in both 2024 and 2025, making the latest year effectively unchanged.
Domestic Recycling Rate Was 65.8%
The EPRC report provides a second measure that separates recycling inside Europe from recovered paper exported elsewhere.
European paper mills used approximately 46.3 million tonnes of Paper for Recycling during 2025.
When that domestic use is divided by European paper and board consumption, the resulting domestic recycling rate was 65.8%.
This figure excludes net exports and therefore differs from the broader 76.4% headline recycling rate.
| 2025 Paper Recycling Measure | Result | Market Read |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Recycling Rate | 76.4% | Includes net PfR trade |
| Domestic Recycling Rate | 65.8% | European mill use only |
| Collected/Recycled Volume | 53.9 million tonnes | Down 0.3% |
| Paper & Board Consumption | 70.5 million tonnes | Down 0.4% |
| Net Exports Outside Europe | 7.5 million tonnes | 14% of collection |
Recovered Paper Exports Rise 13.9%
Approximately 7.5 million tonnes of Paper for Recycling were bought by countries outside the EPRC commitment region in 2025.
That represented roughly 14% of total European collection.
Net exports increased 13.9% compared with 2024, according to EPRC.
The destination mix has changed substantially from earlier periods.
China, once a major importer of European recovered paper, now takes volumes close to zero following changes to its recovered-material import policies.
The leading overseas buyers of European PfR in 2025 were:
- India;
- Indonesia;
- Vietnam;
- Malaysia; and
- Thailand.
Those markets therefore remain important in balancing European recovered-paper supply with domestic mill demand.
Europe Maintains Global Paper Recycling Lead
EPRC said Europe continues to record the world's highest regional paper recycling rate.
The Council's comparison places the EU-27 plus the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland at 76.4%, compared with approximately 67% in North America, 60.3% in Asia, 48.5% in Latin America and 42.3% in Africa in the latest comparable regional data.
The estimated global average was 62.3%.
EPRC also reported that 20 European countries recorded paper recycling rates above 70%, up from 17 countries in the previous year's comparison.
Only three European countries were below 60%, compared with five previously.
Paper Packaging Recycling Remains Near 87%
Paper and cardboard packaging continues to record particularly high recycling performance.
The latest EPRC monitoring report, using Eurostat packaging data, puts the EU paper and cardboard packaging recycling rate at approximately 87%.
That compares with 77.2% for metal packaging, 74.9% for glass and 41.7% for plastics in the same dataset.
EPRC said more paper packaging is recycled by volume than all other packaging materials combined.
PACKAGING READ
Paper packaging is already operating at a very high recovery level, so future gains become progressively harder. The next stage is less about simply collecting more tonnes and increasingly about reducing contamination, improving fibre quality and designing coatings, barriers, adhesives and composite structures so recovered packaging can actually be processed efficiently.
European Fibres Complete 4.2 Recycling Cycles
The report also highlights the repeated use of recovered fibre within the European paper system.
EPRC estimates that each fibre completed an average of 4.2 cycles of recycling and use in Europe during 2025.
The comparable global average was approximately three cycles based on 2024 data.
Fibres cannot be recycled indefinitely because they gradually shorten and lose strength through repeated processing, meaning virgin fibre remains necessary to maintain the system.
The combination of virgin and recovered fibre therefore remains central to Europe's paper and board manufacturing model.
Collection Quality Becomes More Important
With the overall recycling rate already above the industry's 2030 voluntary target, EPRC is placing greater emphasis on the quality of material entering recycling systems.
Separate collection is one priority because mixing paper with other waste streams can increase contamination and reduce the value of recovered fibre.
The Council also highlighted efforts to provide more consistent sorting instructions across Europe.
Under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, work is underway on harmonized labeling for packaging and waste receptacles to make household sorting clearer across member states.
Eco-Design Moves to the Center of Paper Recycling Strategy
EPRC said design-for-recycling principles are becoming increasingly important as packaging structures become more complex.
Industry work during 2025 focused on eliminating unnecessary components, improving separability, optimizing adhesives and selecting barrier materials compatible with paper recycling processes.
Cepi also released the third version of its recyclability test method for conventional paper mills.
The methodology is intended to provide a harmonized laboratory procedure for testing how successfully paper and board products can be processed in existing recycling systems.
These efforts are becoming more important as future EU packaging rules increasingly link product design with verified recycling performance.
Market Read
Europe's 76.4% recycling rate confirms that paper remains one of the continent's most established circular material streams.
But the headline rate alone does not tell the entire story.
Collection and consumption both edged lower in 2025, European mills used 46.3 million tonnes of recovered fibre, and 7.5 million tonnes of net PfR exports moved into overseas markets.
That export volume increased despite China's disappearance as a major destination, showing that recovered-paper trade has successfully shifted toward markets in South and Southeast Asia.
The next challenge is therefore not simply raising Europe's overall recycling percentage.
For recyclers, mills and converters, the bigger issues will be improving the quality of collected fibre, maintaining strong outlets for recovered paper, designing more packaging for effective recycling and ensuring that new EU rules do not disrupt a market where collection and mill demand are currently relatively well balanced.
