Blockchain Builds Trust in Europe’s Recycled Plastics Chain

Blockchain is moving from pilots to practice in Europe’s plastics sector, helping firms verify recycled content and get ahead of tougher EU rules

7 Jan 2026

Blockchain technology, long discussed as a future fix for traceability in recycled plastics, is beginning to find limited but practical uses across Europe as pressure grows to verify sustainability claims.

Regulators, buyers and brand owners are increasingly unwilling to rely on declarations alone. Instead, they are asking for evidence that recycled content and environmental claims can be traced and audited. This has exposed weaknesses in existing record-keeping systems, which still rely heavily on spreadsheets and paper documentation.

Recycled plastics typically pass through complex, cross-border supply chains, moving from collection and sorting to processing, resale and manufacturing. At each stage, information on origin and recycled content can be lost or diluted. As scrutiny rises, these gaps have become harder to defend.

Blockchain is being tested as a way to close them. By creating shared, tamper-resistant records, the technology allows each transfer of material to be logged and verified. Proponents argue that this shifts trust away from self-reporting and towards shared data, making audits easier and greenwashing more difficult.

One prominent example is the EU-backed PLASTICE initiative, which is using blockchain to track recycled plastics across selected cross-border supply chains. The project does not aim to transform the entire industry, but to demonstrate how verified data can be shared between multiple actors while keeping commercially sensitive information confidential.

Private platforms are also targeting specific problems. Plastiks focuses on preventing double counting in recycling and recovery claims, seeking to curb overstated environmental impact. Circularise works with manufacturers to enable the secure sharing of verified sustainability data without revealing trade secrets. Together, these efforts suggest the industry is testing where digital traceability delivers the greatest return.

Policy developments are reinforcing the trend. Digital product passports and broader traceability requirements under the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan are approaching, even if many rules are not yet fully in force. Companies that invest early may be better prepared as regulation tightens.

Challenges remain, including data accuracy, system integration and cost. Even so, the direction of travel is becoming clearer. In Europe’s circular plastics economy, trust is increasingly being engineered into supply chains rather than assumed.