In April 2026, the European Union submitted a draft revision of Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 to the World Trade Organization (WTO), marking a new phase in the EU’s oversight of recycled plastics. By introducing more stringent declaration of conformity requirements, strengthening import controls, and promoting the digital transformation of registration systems, the new rules are reshaping the competitive landscape of the global waste plastic recycling industry. Against this backdrop, Chinese pyrolysis technology leaders like Niutech, with their deep technical expertise and successful international practices, demonstrate unique competitive advantages.

I. Core Elements of the Regulatory Revision and Industry Impact  

The most fundamental change in this revision is the construction of a complete supply chain compliance chain. The newly introduced Declaration P (DoC P) and Declaration C (DoC C) mean that every link—from the source pretreatment of waste plastics to the final product—must issue a corresponding declaration of conformity and properly preserve relevant documents for inspection by regulatory authorities at any time.

For waste plastic recycling enterprises, this represents a systematic upgrade of their entire production management system. Companies need to establish a robust batch recording system, assign a unique number to each batch of plastic, record its origin, quality, processing stage, and other information, and retain these records for at least five years. At the same time, the quality management system must be certified by a conformity assessment body and undergo verification every three years.

The new rules significantly strengthen the supervision of imported recycled plastic products. When applying for free circulation, imported products containing recycled plastics (especially PET materials, bottles, sheets, tableware, and kitchenware) must submit the corresponding declaration of conformity to customs and indicate the EU Combined Nomenclature (CN) code. The EU will also audit recycling facilities outside its borders and support laboratories in adopting new analytical methods to use technical means to verify whether goods claimed as recycled PET genuinely originate from plastic waste.

This will effectively curb the past practice of some companies gaining market advantages by falsely declaring virgin plastics as recycled plastics. For companies with genuine technical strength and compliance capabilities, this represents a significant market opportunity—compliant recycled plastics will gain higher market recognition and price premiums.

In this regulatory environment, Niutech’s pyrolysis technology and equipment demonstrate multiple core advantages, providing solid technical support for meeting the new EU requirements.

II. Niutech’s Technological Advantages and International Compliance Capabilities  

Niutech’s self-developed plastic pyrolysis equipment has obtained seven major international certifications, including EU CE, German TÜV, ATEX explosion-proof, and ISCC International Sustainability and Carbon Certification. This means that the pyrolysis products manufactured using Niutech’s technology meet the stringent requirements for entering global high-end green renewable energy markets, can participate in international carbon market trading, and can obtain green premiums. These certifications are not only marks of technological advancement but also a “pre-qualification” for meeting the new EU regulatory requirements.

The new regulations’ requirement for full-chain traceability essentially relies on precise control over the production process. Niutech’s pyrolysis technology can convert plastics into fuel (pyrolysis oil), and this oil can be directly used as feedstock for downstream petrochemical facilities to produce new plastics of virgin quality, validating the advantages of waste plastic pyrolysis. Its technology has been validated in the Danish BASF project, which uses Niutech’s equipment to convert waste plastics into pyrolysis oil for BASF to use as chemical feedstock, successfully achieving a complete “waste plastic-to-new plastic” chemical recycling closed loop.

With respect to the EU’s stringent requirements for food-contact recycled plastics, Niutech’s technology pathway offers a superior green recycling solution. By completely breaking down waste plastics into molecular-level raw materials and then repolymerizing them to produce new plastics, chemical recycling can fundamentally ensure the purity and safety of the final product, making it easier to meet the strict standards for food-contact materials.

The new regulations’ audit requirements for recycling facilities outside the EU mean that companies need to possess production management and quality control capabilities aligned with international standards. Niutech has successfully implemented multiple international benchmark projects: its technology and equipment have been applied in a Danish waste plastic pyrolysis plant, receiving investment and high recognition from BASF; in 2025, it signed a contract worth RMB 198 million with a UK client for a 60,000-ton/year waste plastic pyrolysis production line; a waste plastic pyrolysis project invested by South Korea’s Hyundai Group in Southeast Asia has also fully adopted Niutech’s technology and was successfully commissioned.

Although the new EU regulations’ strict oversight of imported recycled plastics raises market access barriers, they also create a historic opportunity for Chinese companies with genuine technical strength and compliance capabilities. These international project experiences mean that Niutech’s equipment and management systems have been tested across different countries and regulatory frameworks, providing a practical reference model for its clients to cope with the new EU regulatory audits.