Europe’s Film Recycling Landscape

European Recycling Intelligence

In Europe, the recycling of flexible and soft plastic films is gaining increased regulatory urgency. The recent industry report “Recycling of Flexible Films in Europe 2025” highlights that the regulatory framework under the Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) places new targets on flexible films for recyclability, recycling rates and recycled content. At the same time, the overall plastics recycling industry in Europe is under strain — with reports indicating “zero net growth” in recycling capacity by 2025 and mounting plant closures. These developments have created both opportunity and urgency for advanced film sorting and recovery solutions.

Market Challenges in Film Sorting & Recovery

• Lightweight, flexible geometry — Plastic films (stretch-wrap, packaging films, agricultural films) pose sorting difficulties due to fluttering, drift, entanglement and low mass per area. Conventional mechanical or standard optical sorters struggle to handle such materials efficiently.

• Complex contamination and material blends — Flexible films often contain adhesives, inks, multi-layer constructions (e.g., PE/PP, barrier films) which complicate mechanical recycling and degrade the quality of feedstock.

• Regulatory & economic pressure — With EU recycled-content targets rising and film volumes growing, recyclers must deliver higher purity yields at lower cost. Many legacy film sorting lines are unable to meet new performance thresholds.

• Technological gap — Most optical sorters are optimised for rigid plastics (bottles, containers). Soft plastic film fractions require tailored solutions: stable conveyance, accurate sensor recognition (polymer type, colour, film condition), minimal turbulence and high ejection accuracy.

DATABEYOND’s FASTSORT-FILM: Purpose-Built for Film Sorting

To meet these challenges, DATABEYOND introduces the FASTSORT-FILM (Film AI Hyperspectral Optical Sorter) — a dedicated film sorting solution engineered for lightweight film fractions.

• Aerodynamic design for lightweight materials – The entire machine features an innovative aerodynamic structure. Active airflow synchronised with a high-speed conveyor belt (3.5–4.2 m/s) ensures uniform, spread-out and stable material conveyance. A newly optimised collection bin guides flight trajectories of lightweight materials, reducing flotation and turbulence.

• AI + SPEC dual recognition system – Combining artificial intelligence with hyperspectral imaging (SPEC), FASTSORT-FILM enables precise identification and sorting of material, colour and film type (size range 50 mm-300 mm).

• High accuracy and throughput – With sorting accuracy exceeding 90 % (significantly above many traditional film sorting devices), the system delivers high-purity film separation and supports downstream recyclate value enhancement.

• Application versatility – Ideal for soft plastic film recycling plants, mixed-waste materials recovery facilities (MRFs) isolating film fractions, or dedicated film separation lines.

By implementing this specialised optical film sorter, European recyclers can reposition their operations to address regulatory demands, film-waste growth and quality pressures — turning the film fraction from a liability into a revenue-generating stream.

Conclusion

As the European plastic film recycling segment undergoes transformation, the need for advanced film sorting and separation equipment becomes ever more critical. DATABEYOND’s FASTSORT-FILM offers a future-proof optical film sorter solution that meets the unique demands of film sorting: lightweight material control, high accuracy, and film-specific recognition. For recyclers seeking a trusted partner in soft plastic and film separation equipment, DATABEYOND stands ready.