Plastic use by industries in the EU is dominated by packaging, and has been for as long as the data has been collected. Around 40% of all plastic converted in Europe goes into packaging, with building and construction the second-largest use at around a fifth, followed by automotive, electrical and electronic goods, household and leisure products, and agriculture.
The pattern has been stable for a decade; what has changed is the scale and the source. European plastics production was 54.6 million tonnes in 2024, a marginal recovery after years of contraction, and Europe’s share of world output has fallen from 22% in 2006 to 12% (Plastics Europe, The Fast Facts 2025). Plastic use by industries in the EU is now supplied increasingly from outside Europe, and for the third year running the EU was a net importer of plastic materials and products.
Packaging leads because it is versatile and cheap, and because it does jobs no other material does as well: protecting goods in transport, extending food shelf life, and reducing waste. Flexible packaging keeps gaining share for convenience and lower material use, though paper and cardboard remain the largest packaging material in the EU by weight. The EU publishes further data on plastic use by industries in the EU through Eurostat and Plastics Europe, and the breakdown below draws on the latest available figures.
Plastic Use by Industries in the EU: Demand by Sector
The following is how plastic use by industries in the EU divides among the main end-use sectors, based on Plastics Europe’s converter demand data.
Packaging Industry
Packaging accounts for around 40% of plastic use by industries in the EU, making it the largest end-use sector by a wide margin. Bottles, films, trays, caps, and pouches dominate. The sector is also the one most affected by regulation: the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, in force from 2025, sets recycled-content minimums, recyclability requirements, and reuse targets that are changing what packaging can be made of. For a brand sourcing packaging for European sale, recycled content is now a specification, not an option.
Building and Construction Industry
Building and construction is the second-largest sector, at around 20% of plastic use by industries in the EU. Pipes, window profiles, insulation, flooring, cable ducting, and membranes use PVC, polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyurethane in volumes that last decades in service. It is the sector where plastics have most completely replaced traditional materials and where recycling rates for some products, notably PVC window profiles, are highest.
Automotive
Automotive takes roughly 9% to 10% of plastic use by industries in the EU. Plastics reduce vehicle weight, and every kilogram saved lowers fuel or battery consumption, so the share of plastics in a car has risen steadily and is higher still in electric vehicles, where battery housings, cable management, and lightweight structures add to the interior and exterior parts plastics already dominate. Polypropylene, polyurethane, ABS, and polyamide are the main materials.
Electrical and Electronic
Electrical and electronic equipment accounts for around 6% of plastic use by industries in the EU: housings, connectors, insulation, cable sheathing, and components across everything from appliances to consumer electronics. The sector demands engineering plastics, ABS, polycarbonate, polyamide, and flame-retardant grades, and it is subject to RoHS and WEEE rules that restrict substances and require take-back.
Household, Leisure, and Sports
Household goods, toys, sports equipment, and leisure products take around 4% of plastic use by industries in the EU. It is the most visible sector to consumers and the one where design and finish matter most, and it overlaps heavily with the consumer products that brands source from Asian manufacturers.
Agriculture
Agriculture uses around 3% to 4%, in films, mulch, irrigation pipe, greenhouse covers, and crates. Agricultural films are a growing focus of EU waste regulation because they are hard to collect and recycle.
Other Sectors
The remainder, around 15% to 17% of plastic use by industries in the EU, covers medical devices, furniture, textiles, industrial machinery, and a long tail of applications. Medical is the fastest-growing of these, driven by single-use devices and an ageing population.
Distribution of plastics demand in Europe by end-use sector. Packaging and construction together account for about 60%.
Where European Plastics Now Come From
The European plastics industry is in what Plastics Europe calls a structural crisis. Turnover fell from around €457 billion in 2022 to €398 billion in 2024, high energy costs have made European resin uncompetitive against production in the United States, the Middle East, and Asia, and Europe has become a net importer of both plastic materials and plastic products. Asia now produces 57% of the world’s plastics and China alone 34.5%. Circular plastics, from recycled and bio-based sources, have stalled at around 15% of European production, at about 8.4 million tonnes, while global circular production passed 10% of output in 2024.
For a company sourcing plastic products for the European market, that has two consequences. The product is increasingly likely to be made in Asia whether or not the brand is European, because that is where the resin and the conversion capacity now are. And the regulations governing plastic use by industries in the EU, on recycled content, recyclability, substance restrictions, and producer responsibility, apply to the product regardless of where it is made, so an Asian supplier producing for Europe has to meet European rules from the start.
Wrapping Up
Plastic use by industries in the EU is led by packaging and construction, stable in its pattern, and increasingly supplied from outside Europe. The regulatory environment is the tightest in the world and tightening further, which makes material selection, recycled content, and compliance documentation part of the product specification for anything sold there. Working out which materials meet the rules for your product’s sector, and finding a factory that can produce to them, is part of what Intrepid Sourcing’s plastics production package and packaging service do.
