July 17, 2026

Plastics have radically transformed our everyday lives over the last 100 years, though not always for the better. The journalist Saabira Chaudhuri recently investigated when and why promises on recycling were made (Consumed – How Big Brands Got Us Hooked on Plastic). And why not a single one was kept. The last major recycling pledge in Germany was made by leading brand manufacturers in 2012 at a conference at Krickenbeck Castle near Düsseldorf. Moderated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the voluntary commitment was signed to make all packaging reusable or recyclable by 2025. This pledge, too, was broken.

A recycling pledge was also made in connection with the Green Dot. It is interesting to note that, to this day, there are no reliable figures on how much recycled plastic is actually produced each year. Nor is it known how much ‘virgin plastic’ has been saved as a result. This would be roughly equivalent to a car manufacturer estimating the number of cars it produces annually using an approximate factor. All of this, of course, has financial, but also technical and polymer-chemical reasons. These will be presented in a keynote speech  by Prof. Dr. Uwe Lahl at the 38^th VDI/ITAD Conference on Thermal Waste Treatment 2026 in Würzburg on 22 September 2026.

Below you will find the link to the VDI website for the event and to the programme leaflet (PDF).

May 13, 2026

On behalf of a plastics recycler, the authors undertook an investigation to determine the chemical composition and general formulation of additives used in the mechanical recycling of post-consumer plastics. Initial findings were published in 2025 in the German journal Müll und Abfall (see News from 11 July 2025 and website of Erich-Schmidt-Verlag).

Given the topicality of this subject and the upcoming discussions at EU level, including on the circular economy, we have produced a working paper for all interested parties, which can be downloaded here free of charge.

• Lahl U., Zeschmar-Lahl, B. (2026): Additives for plastics recycling – Need for more transparency. Zenodo.
  https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20157820

May 6, 2026

Prof. Dr. Uwe Lahl has given a presentation at IFAT on 4 May 2026 in Munich as part of the session Removal and destruction of PFAS from contaminated water streams by adsorption on activated carbon and subsequent reactivation of the saturated activated carbon on the topic Current status of EU chemicals regulation – the particular significance of substance grouping, using PFAS as an example (in German).

As long as 20 years ago, we highlighted the particular risks posed by the group of organic fluorinated compounds (Fricke & Lahl). At that time, the hazardous individual compounds were known as PFOS or PFOA. These have since been banned. However, the substitutes, which were taken from the same group of substances, have subsequently proved to be no less hazardous. Today, exposure levels in humans are so high that scientists are sounding the alarm. On the one hand, the presentation looks back to examine how this situation could have arisen. On the other hand, it also looks ahead and describes the efforts of European legislators to pull the emergency brake.

Below you will find a link to download the presentation.

April 27, 2026

Prof. Dr. Uwe Lahl will give a presentation at IFAT on 4 May 2026 in Munich on the Blue Stage (B2) as part of the session Removal and destruction of PFAS from contaminated water streams by adsorption on activated carbon and subsequent reactivation of the saturated activated carbon on the topic Current status of EU chemicals regulation – the particular significance of substance grouping, using PFAS as an example (in German).

As long as 20 years ago, we highlighted the particular risks posed by the group of organic fluorinated compounds (Fricke & Lahl). At that time, the hazardous individual compounds were known as PFOS or PFOA. These have since been banned. However, the substitutes, which were taken from the same group of substances, have subsequently proved to be no less hazardous. Today, exposure levels in humans are so high that scientists are sounding the alarm. On the one hand, the presentation looks back to examine how this situation could have arisen. On the other hand, it also looks ahead and describes the efforts of European legislators to pull the emergency brake.

Below you will find the link to the event’s website.

April 20, 2026

Twenty years ago, exempting polymers from the registration requirement under REACH was a political compromise. As part of its 2020 Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS), the European Commission has also announced a comprehensive revision of the REACH Regulation. Among other things, the registration requirement is to be extended in future to certain polymers of concern (PoC). The criteria for classification as PoC are currently still under discussion.

At the Regulatory Developments @ Regulatory Summit Europe 2026 on April 20, 2026, in Brussels, Prof. Dr. Uwe Lahl gives a presentation entitled What are the concerns around plastics and why do we need to regulate them?

Given the topical nature of this issue and the upcoming discussions at EU level, we have produced a background paper for anyone interested, which can be downloaded free of charge here. kann.

• Lahl, U., & Zeschmar-Lahl, B. (2026). What are the concerns around plastics and why do we need to regulate them? Regulatory Developments @ Regulatory Summit Europe 2026, Brussels. Zenodo.
  https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19633696

February 20, 2026

Twenty years ago, exempting polymers from the registration requirement under REACH was a political compromise. As part of its 2020 Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS), the European Commission has also announced a comprehensive revision of the REACH Regulation. Among other things, the registration requirement is to be extended in future to certain polymers of concern (PoC). The criteria for classification as PoC are currently still under discussion.

At the Regulatory Developments @ Regulatory Summit Europe 2026 on April 20, 2026, in Brussels,
Prof. Dr. Uwe Lahl will give a presentation entitled What are the concerns around plastics and why do we need to regulate them? He will look into the questions:

• What scientific reasons are there today for supplementing REACH now?
• What could a stepwise integration look like?

Further details can be found on the event website.

February 9, 2026

New plastics consist of increasingly complex additive formulations and polymers. Can the recycling of mixed packaging plastics produce new high-quality products, or is the use of recycled materials in consumer products actually hazardous? In his presentation at the Innsbruck Waste and Resource Day 2026 on February 4, 2026, on the topic of “Plastics Recycling and Hazardous Substances – Risk Cycle,” Prof. Dr. Uwe Lahl not only addressed these questions, but also presented the latest findings and political developments in this area.

In view of the topicality of this issue and the upcoming discussions at EU level, we are making this article available in English for all interested parties:

• Lahl U., Zeschmar-Lahl B. (2026): Plastics recycling and hazardous substances – Risk Cycle 2026. Innsbruck Waste and Resources Day 2026 – Material Flows in the Cycle – Challenges & Opportunities – Quotas & Pollutants (Innsbrucker Abfall- und Ressourcentag 2026 – Stoffströme im Kreislauf – Herausforderungen & Chancen – Quoten & Schadstoffe), February 4, 2026. DOWNLOAD from our website and new: zenodo.org/records/19762283.

Referring publications:

• Lahl U., Zeschmar-Lahl B. (2025): Der neue Markt an Recycling-Additiven – Handlungsbedarf für den Gesetzgeber. Müll und Abfall 7, 376-382. ONLINE
• DGAW (2025): Ressourcen.Neu.Denken. Podcast, Folge 41. ONLINE
• Lahl U., Zeschmar-Lahl B. (2024): Material Recycling of Plastics—A Challenge for Sustainability. Sustainability 2024, 16, 6630. ONLINE
• Lahl U., Lechtenberg D., Zeschmar-Lahl B. (2024): Kunststoffe in der Abfallwirtschaft – closing the loop? Österr Wasser- und Abfallw (2024) 76, 7–8. ONLINE
• Lahl U., Lechtenberg D., Zeschmar-Lahl B. (2024): Kunststoffrecycling und gefährliche Stoffe – RISK CYCLE. Müll und Abfall 4, 195–204. ONLINE – Beitrag basierend auf der Erstveröffentlichung in Abfallwirtschaft und Energie 1 (2024) ONLINE

January 14, 2026

The publication shows how the goal of transforming or defossilizing Europe’s industry can be implemented step by step. The key points were developed on the basis of discussions within the EU think tank of the DGAW, presented and discussed at specialist conferences, and combined in this paper with research results from the nova-Institute.

It shows how legal areas can be better integrated at the EU level, which will lead to new priorities for industry and waste management. This includes classifying all recycling technologies, from mechanical and physical to chemical processes and even incineration with CO₂ capture and utilization, as equivalent, as all processes are needed for the conversion of the various waste fractions and target products. Overall, the ten proposals derived and analyzed in the paper also lead to a significant reduction in administrative burdens.

There are some important proposals that build on instruments already introduced by the EU, such as substitution quotas for selected plastics sectors. The authors also mention proposals that are currently being discussed or put forward by Member States. However, there are also proposals to phase out existing regulations. It is important that the proposals build on each other and are implemented in a coordinated manner as part of a coherent, step-by-step overall package.

Fortunately, greater autonomy is becoming increasingly mainstream in the EU and is also one of the cornerstones of the new EU Council Presidency. However, until this is put into practice, greater autonomy and resilience will remain nothing more than a narrative. And the road to achieving this will be paved with difficulties.

You can download the study via the link below.

January 8, 2026

More packaging waste is to be recycled. However, in its amendment to the Packaging Act, the Federal Environment Ministry only wants to open two doors slightly for a better functioning circular economy: one for truly high-quality material recycling and one for chemical recycling, which would supply the chemical industry with raw materials for new plastics. The ministry thus continues to favor “downcycling.”

Read more about this in the latest article by Prof. Dr. Uwe Lahl in VDI energie + umwelt magazine.