Chemical Recycling Market - By Technology, Feedstock Type, Polymer Type & End Use Industry - Growth Forecast, 2025 - 2034

Chemical Recycling Market Size

The global chemical recycling market was estimated at USD 815 million in 2024. It is expected to grow from USD 1.2 billion in 2025 to USD 18.5 billion by 2034, at a CAGR of 36.1%, according to latest report published by Global Market Insights Inc.

• The chemical recycling market is growing actively because industries are also changing to high-performance and sustainable material production. The growing reliance of smart materials not only in electronics, packaging, and automotive industries but also the requirement of high purity recycled plastics which mechanical recycling cannot provide is a factor in the demand. Plastics Europe states that the amount of collected plastic waste in the region is more than 30 million tons every year, however, more than 70%, which indicates enormous possibilities of chemical conversion technologies, including pyrolysis and depolymerization, to bridge the circle of use.
   
• Aerospace and biomedical applications are new avenues for chemically recycled polymers because they are consistent, pure and traceable. The Strategy of Plastics Innovation (2023) of the U.S. Department of Energy emphasizes that chemical depolymerization allows retrieving the monomers of high quality and specifications to use in medical and aerospace components. This is compelling manufacturers to incorporate the use of recycled feedstock in the high-performance polymer value chains to balance innovation against the sustainability requirements.
   
• Chemical recycling investments are also increasing faster owing to intensifying global regulations on sustainability. The Cyclical Economy Action plan by the EU and the recycled content in the plastic containers and food-grade materials are creating the need that has to be met by sophisticated recycling facilities.
   

Chemical Recycling Market Trends

• Recycling chemicals is getting digitalized with AI, IoT, and automation taking on the feedstock management and performance optimization of the processes. The modern technology of process control solutions offered by ABB and the sorting systems provided by TOMRA are reducing the number of impurities and enhancing conversion yields. Such integration is more cost effective and guarantees traceable and data-supported material recovery. The trend favors the large-scale operational scalability and sustainability reporting that are turning out to be compulsory in the framework of circular economies.
   
• There is a trend in companies creating strategic alliances throughout the recycling value chain to achieve a stable feedstock supply and market offtake. Collaborations like ExxonMobil with Cyclyx or SABIC with Plastic Energy point to the shift away on the closed-loop systems linking waste collectors, recyclers, and end products manufacturers. Such partnerships reduce the volatility of the raw materials and risk capital-intensive investments.
   
• The market is fast moving out of the traditional polyolefins to other complex types of waste like multi-layered films, clothing, tires and car plastics. This is caused by the increasing environmental standards on hard to recycle materials and the increasing demand of high value recycled polymers. Firms are currently using enhanced depolymerization and solvolysis to get monomers out of complex waste matrices.
   
• Technology licensing and modular plant design are also on the rise in the industry to hasten capacity growth. The market leaders like Eastman and Indorama have been the first movers in this shift by implementing scalable recycling facilities that can take a variety of polymer feedstock with reduced energy content. Modular systems allow quicker rollouts, less capex, and regional flexibility, to assist in achieving localized waste management ambitious. These collaborations of technology licensors and chemical manufacturers are converting pilot-stage technologies to large-scale industrial processes.
   

Chemical Recycling Market Analysis

Learn more about the key segments shaping this market

Download Free PDF

Based on technology, the market is segmented into pyrolysis, gasification, depolymerization, solvolysis, dissolution & solvent-based recycling, others. Pyrolysis hold a significant share at a valuation of USD 475.2 million in 2024.
 

• Pyrolysis takes the lead in the market of chemical recycling, occupying the biggest portion of the market because of its flexibility in handling mixed and contaminated plastic stream of waste. Technology transforms plastics into useful products such as pyrolysis oil, naphtha and syngas which can be recycled to produce petrochemicals. It has been the choice of start-ups and big players because of its scalability and compatibility with the current refinery infrastructure.
   
• Other technologies like gasification, depolymerization and solvolysis are becoming popular in certain applications where purity of the material and the recovery of polymer is of particular importance. Conversion of mixed waste into gas is being developed, and conversion of PET and nylon into solvents is being developed to preserve polymer quality. In the long run, the industry is likely to experience integration of hybrid technologies that can be used to create maximum yield and environmental performance through the combination of pyrolysis and advanced purification systems, making it the core of the chemical recycling ecosystem.
   

Based on feedstock type, the chemical recycling market is segmented into plastic waste, textile waste, rubber waste, industrial packaging waste, others. Plastic waste holds a significant share at a valuation of USD 595 million in 2024.
 

• The recycling of plastics has the largest share of the chemical market, which is mainly attributed to the large amount of post-consumer plastics and post-industrial generated plastic around the globe. Growing regulatory demands to reduce landfilling and the small scale of mechanical recycling have heightened the development of chemical processes of converting plastic waste. Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) polyolefins are the two most widely recycled polymer types, which can be recycled using pyrolysis and depolymerization equipment to create high quality circular feedstock.
   
• Other feedstock sources, such as textiles and rubber waste are slowly being adopted as industries consider chemical means of reclaiming monomers and fuels out of complex waste streams. The recycling of textile waste, which is the attribute of fashion industries sustainability goals, is growing by the process of depolymerization of polyester fibers whereas the recycling of rubber waste is geared towards recycling of oil and carbon black produced by tires.
   

Based on polymer type, the chemical recycling market is segmented into polyolefins (PE, PP), polyesters (PET, PBT), polystyrene (PS), polyamides (PA, Nylon), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), and others. Polyolefins (PE, PP) holds a significant share at a valuation of USD 344 million in 2024.
 

• Polyolefins (polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) have the highest percentage in the chemical recycling market due to their extensive use in packaging, consumer products, and parts of automobiles. These polymers constitute a significant percentage of plastic waste in the world, thus becoming the focus of recycling efforts. Polyolefins are specifically well suited to pyrolysis and gasification technologies because they can very effectively convert polyolefins into hydrocarbon and circular feedstock to produce new polymers.
   
• Other polymers like PET, PS and PA have been found to be significant in specialized recycling like beverage packages, insulation products and textiles. The process of depolymerization and solvolysis is being developed to be able to work with these polymers in a better way, especially food-grade and high-purity. Nevertheless, their huge use in place of polyolefins is limited due to issues of contamination, additions, and inefficiencies in collection.

Learn more about the key segments shaping this market

Download Free PDF

Based on end use industry, the market is segmented into packaging, automotive, textiles & apparel, building & construction, electrical & electronics, consumer goods. Packaging products is estimated to grasp a value of USD 428.1 million in 2025 and is expected to grow at 35.2% of CAGR during the forecast period.
 

• The biggest end-use market in the chemical recycling market is the packaging industry, which has tremendous consumption of single-use plastics and the growing regulatory pressures surrounding circular packaging solutions. The increasing efforts by international firms in the FMCG and beverage industries to use recycled material in packaging have given a tremendous boost to the use of chemical recycling.
   
• Other sectors like automobile, fabric and building industries are also incorporating chemically recycled polymers into their production to enhance their sustainability profiles. The car industry is utilizing recycling of plastics in interior parts, and textile industry is seeking to recover monomers in polyester fibers towards fiber-to-fiber recycling. Nevertheless, packaging is the prevailing leading contributor because of abundance of waste, corporate obligation to provide circularity, and increasing attempts of a joint effort between recyclers and packaging converters to create closed-loop material system.

Looking for region specific data?

Download Free PDF

North America accounted for USD 246.9 million in 2024 and is anticipated to show lucrative growth over the forecast period.
 

• North America region comprises of 30.2% market share in the chemical recycling market in 2024 where the United States is by far the leading country in terms of market share due to its vast industrial capacity, capital market, and the initial commercial implementations of the advanced recycling systems. Examples of commercial-scale U.S. commercial-scale facilities and ramp-ups, such as those at Kingsport molecular-recycling unit (capacity of approximately 110,000 t/yr) and the Ironton PP purification plant by PureCycle, present actual production volumes on which regional market share and purchaser confidence are based.
   
• The growth of this region is caused by a complex of factors: active investment in the country by individuals and financing of projects, state assistance to decarbonization and circularity (with project-related grants/loans), such an abundance of mixed-plastic feedstock due to high consumption rates, and accelerated uptake by large brand owners willing to pay certified circular resins. Recent U.S. examples are the commercial production beginning at Kingsport of Eastman, and its choice to receive a large DOE grant on a follow-on project, and it shows the outcome of policy and industrial scale-up meeting and interacting to speed up market development.
   

Europe accounted for USD 310 million in 2024 and is anticipated to show lucrative growth over the forecast period.
 

• The European chemical recycling market has 38.1% market share in 2024 with high regulatory frameworks and early uptake of the circular economy. The domination is by Germany, the Netherlands and the U.K. because of their developed waste management and robust governmental incentives. Current EU policies such as the Circular Economy Action Plan, and Single-Use Plastics Directive have enabled massive initiatives such as the ChemCycling by BASF, and TRUCIRCLE by SABIC, making Europe a leader in the green polymer industry.
   
• Expansion is also driven by business devotion to EU recycling objectives and value chain strategic partnerships. The operational scalability is being reinforced by the ongoing investments in pyrolysis and depolymerization technologies supported with the help of the EU Innovation Fund and the ISCC PLUS certifications. Major manufactures are progressively combining chemical recycling units with the existing refineries to maximize productivity and limit the reliance on virgin plastics.
   

Asia Pacific market accounted for USD 177.2 million in 2024 and is anticipated to show lucrative growth over the forecast period.
 

• Asia Pacific region holds 21.7% market share in the chemical recycling market in 2024, which is accelerated by rapid industrialization and increasing the rate of plastic waste production in China, Japan, and South Korea. In China, sustainability initiatives by the government, including the 14 th Five-Year Plan of Circular Economy and the Plastic Resource Circulation Act of Japan, have led to the widespread use of modern recycling methods.
   
• The market is being propelled by robust partnerships of the people and inflows of the venture capital to the recycling startups. Technology transfer and infrastructure development is increasing due to strategic alliances between the world polymer manufacturers and Asian companies. This policy favoring trend, combined with the process of modernizing the industries, makes Asia Pacific a fast-changing center of the next-generation recycling technologies.
   

Latin America chemical recycling market accounted for 6.1% market share in 2024 and is anticipated to show steady growth over the forecast period.
 

• The Latin American region shows steady growth in the chemical recycling industry with Brazil and Mexico being the top regional adopters given their developed plastic waste management systems and robust petrochemical sectors. The two countries are also experiencing increased investment in chemical depolymerization/pyrolysis plants that will be used to transform plastic waste to high-value feedstock. Recycled polymers are also becoming in demand by more intake of packaging and FMCG industries in sustainability initiatives.
   
• Expansion in the market is also enhanced by international partnerships and pilot projects undertaken by the global players to come up with scalable recycling capacities. Nonetheless, with the difficulties involving the separation of waste and infrastructural issues, the region is gaining momentum due to the imports of technology and collaboration with companies in North America. Besides, the tendency to reach carbon neutrality and the decrease in landfill reliance is leading the local industries to introduce chemical recycling into their business models, which places Latin America as an up-and-coming, yet rapidly developing market.
   

Middle East and Africa chemical recycling market accounted for 4.3% market share in 2024 and is anticipated to show steady growth over the forecast period.
 

• The Middle East and Africa (MEA) shows steady growth due to the increased awareness of the population of the environment and implementation of the recycling of the environment into the circular economy. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa are some of the leading countries to invest in modern recycling plants to solve the increasing volumes of plastic wastes. An example of this is Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 and the operating Strategy of Waste to Energy in the UAE, which is encouraging sustainable material recovery and industrial decarbonization.
   
• The development of MEA also takes place through the shared interests between the world chemical manufacturers and the regional oil and gas firms who aim at diversifying the portfolio to sustainability. Infrastructural gaps and lack of adequate waste collection systems are however the main limiting factors. Nevertheless, the strategic location of the region as a petrochemical hub has a chance of introducing the concept of chemical recycling to the feedstock supply chains.
   

Chemical Recycling Market Share

The market of chemical recycling is little fragmented as there are many big players in the market, five major leading companies i.e. Eastman Chemical Company, ExxonMobil Corporation, SABIC, Neste Corporation, and PureCycle Technologies control approximately 54% market share of the market in 2024. These firms are dominant through their vast R and D resources, massive infrastructure, and well-developed distribution chains of products which enable them to source efficiently feedstock and distribute their products. Their international outlook and relations with petrochemical, packaging, and consumer goods businesses also further support their leadership roles and allow them to commercialize high-tech recycling methods, including pyrolysis, methanolysis and solvent purification.
 

To remain competitive, market participants are also paying more attention to the increase of the processing capacities, creation of scalable and cost-effective recycling technologies and the provision of regular access to the waste feedstock with the help of the strategic partnership with waste management companies and brand owners. Digitalization and process automation is also becoming the priority of companies to maximize operational efficiency and yields and be able to be in line with regulatory frameworks and certification schemes including ISCC PLUS of circular polymer traceability. Also, lifecycle carbon footprint reduction investment, renewable energy integration, and circular polymer grade innovation is taking the centre-stage in differentiation and long-term sustainability in the market.
 

Chemical Recycling Market Companies

Major players operating in the chemical recycling industry are:
 

• Eastman Chemical Company
• BASF SE
• ExxonMobil Corporation
• Evonik
• Dow Inc.
• SABIC
• Shell plc
• Neste Corporation
• PureCycle Technologies
• Agilyx Corporation
• Carbios SA
• USEON Technology Limited
• Andritz
• Sulzer Ltd
• Shell Global
• Mura Technology.
  
   

Eastman is a major U.S.-based competitor in molecular (chemical) recycling, with specialization in depolymerization technologies based on polyester and methanolysis. It has one of the largest material-to-material recycling plants in the world at Kingsport, Tennessee, a facility valued at more than USD 1 billion which, it intends to duplicate in a plant in France to process up to 160,000 tons of hard-to-recycle plastics in a year. Eastman is also a company that specializes in the production of circular polymers (packaging, textiles, and consumer goods), which places it in the vanguard of sustainable materials innovation.
 

ExxonMobil has shown a swift growth in the advanced recycling process by its own proprietary technology, called Exxtend that separates plastic waste to produce virgin-equivalent feedstock to make new polymer. The company has a large unit in Baytown, Texas, which has a capacity of more than 40,000 tons per year, and is planning to expand to 500,000 tons worldwide in 2027. The company is working with retailers, recyclers, and brand owners to increase plastic supply chains circularity as part of its overall Plastics Circularity program.
 

SABIC is one of the leaders in recycling chemicals and has its TRUCIRCLE portfolio which includes certified circular polymers made of mixed plastic waste using pyrolysis oil. It has alliances with Plastic Energy and BP, which allows it to supply feedstock and production of circular polymer in Europe and Asia. The emphasis of the company on mass balance certification and closed-loop partnership with the brand owners such as Unilever and Tupperware makes it a sustainability-oriented resin supplier.
 

Neste, which operates in Finland, is a leader in renewable fuels and chemical recycling, by applying its hydro processing division to turn liquefied waste plastics into high-grade feedstock to use in petrochemical production. It has strategic alliances with Borealis, LyondellBasell, and Ravago to increase business on circular polymers. Over the next 3 years, Neste plans to recycle more than 1 million tons of plastic waste annually to push the combination of bio-based and chemically recycled feedstock.
 

PureCycle specializes in recycling polypropylene (PP) waste through solvent-based purification technology which is licensed by Procter & Gamble. It launched its flagship plant in Ironton, Ohio in 2024, which is a 107,000 ton/year production facility producing ultra-pure recycled PP resin. The company intends to go global and enter Europe and Asia where it will focus on high-performance application in packaging, automotive, and consumer goods and position itself as a core enabler of the circular economy in the packaging segment (PP).
 

Chemical Recycling Industry News

• In July, 2025, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and ENEOS opened a high-tech recycling plant in Ibaraki, Japan, which uses the Hydro-PRT process of Mura Technology Ltd. The facility will have an initial capacity of approximately 20 kt/year of circular hydrocarbon production of plastic waste and will be certified as ISCC PLUS.
   
• In June 2025, Versalis starting on its Mantua plant in northern Italy released its Hoop demonstration facility to recycle mixed plastic-waste using chemicals at the location. The proprietary process transforms mixed plastics into feedstock that is even food-contact and pharmaceutical packageable, which is a major move towards commercialization of its industrial scale facility in Priolo, Sicily.
   
• In February 2025, SK chemicals (South Korea) stated that it was developing a Waste Plastic Recycling Innovation Center at the Ulsan plant to further speed up commercialization of depolymerization / chemically-recycled material of multiple waste streams.
   
• In April 2023, Shell and Agilyx reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Europe to investigate the construction of a 35 kilotons per annum polystyrene waste chemical recycling plant. In the contract, Agilyx would construct the plant and Shell would buy the recycled product where it would be processed at its chemical factories.
   

The chemical recycling market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of revenue (USD Million) & volume (Kilo Tons) from 2021 to 2034, for the following segments:

Click here to Buy Section of this Report

Market, By Technology

• Pyrolysis
  • Thermal cracking
  • Catalytic pyrolysis 
• Gasification
  • Plasma gasification
  • Steam reforming
• Depolymerization
  • Glycolysis
  • Metanalysis
  • Hydrolysis
• Solvolysis
  • Alcoholysis
  • Ammonolysis
  • Hydrothermal processing
• Dissolution & Solvent-based recycling
  • Selective dissolution
  • Solvent extraction
• Others
  • Enzymatic recycling
  • Microwave assisted recycling

Market, By Feedstock Type

• Plastic waste
  • Plastic waste (PE)
  • Polyethylene (PP)
  • Polypropylene (PS)
  • Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
  • Polyvinyl chloride
  • Multilayer & mixed plastics 
• Textile waste
  • Polyester fiber
  • Nylon
• Rubber waste
• Industrial packaging waste

Market, By Polymer Type

• Polyolefins (PE, PP)
• Polyesters (PET, PBT)
• Polystyrene (PS)
• Polyamides (PA, Nylon)
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• Polycarbonate (PC)
• Others

Market, By End Use Industry

• Packaging
  • Food & beverage packaging
  • Industrial packaging 
• Automotive
  • Interior and exterior components
  • Under-the-hood applications
• Textiles & Apparel
  • Synthetic fiber
  • Clothing
• Building & Construction
• Electrical & Electronics
• Consumer Goods

The above information is provided for the following regions and countries:

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • UK
  • Germany
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Australia
  • Rest of Asia Pacific 
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
  • Rest of Latin America 
• MEA
  • UAE
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Rest of Middle East and Africa