rPET Price Trend and Forecast 2026-2027

Key Takeaways

• Food-grade rPET prices varied widely by region. Europe was the most expensive market, ranging from USD 1.94/KG in Q1 2025 to a peak above USD 2.30/KG mid-year, while India and Africa stayed below USD 1.00/KG throughout.
• Most regions softened through 2025. Europe eased from its Q2 peak to USD 2.01/KG by Q1 2026, and South America fell sharply from USD 1.10/KG to USD 0.74/KG by Q4 2025.
• North America held the second-highest prices, easing from USD 1.75/KG in Q1 2025 to USD 1.48/KG by Q4 before a modest rebound to USD 1.55/KG in Q1 2026.
• India and Africa were the most affordable and the most stable, both trading in a narrow band below USD 1.00/KG across the period.
• The rPET market forecast for the remainder of 2026 keeps Europe at the top, projected at USD 1.77 to 2.19/KG, with India and Africa near the bottom of the range.

What Is rPET and Why Does It Matter?

Recycled polyethylene terephthalate, or rPET, is plastic made from collected and reprocessed PET waste, mainly used drink bottles. Food-grade rPET is the highest-quality tier, decontaminated and certified to safely contact food and beverages. It sits at the premium end of the recycled-plastics market, where purity and certification matter as much as volume.

From a market view, rPET matters because it is central to the shift toward a circular economy in packaging. Recycled-content rules and brand commitments have turned food-grade rPET from a niche product into a strategic, policy-driven material, with prices that vary widely by region depending on collection systems and regulation.

Because it depends on collected waste, rPET prices respond to a focused list of inputs: post-consumer bottle collection rates, food-grade decontamination costs, recycled-content rules, virgin PET prices, and regional supply and demand balances.

Which Sectors Are Driving rPET Demand?

• Beverage Bottles: this is the dominant pull, as drinks brands switch to recycled content in water, soft-drink, and juice bottles. Recycled-content targets make this the biggest and most policy-driven source of demand.
• Food Packaging: thermoformed trays, punnets, and containers for fresh food use food-grade rPET, a growing segment as retailers and brands chase sustainability goals.
• Brand Sustainability Commitments: voluntary pledges by consumer-goods companies to lift recycled content add demand on top of regulation, often targeting higher recycled shares than the law requires.
• Fibre and Non-Food Uses: lower grades of rPET feed textiles, strapping, and sheet, and while these compete for the same bales, they anchor the wider recycling system that food-grade supply depends on.

Global rPET Price Trend in 2025

Taken as a simple average of the 7 regions tracked in this report, the global rpet benchmark eased from USD 1.27/KG in Q1 2025 to USD 1.13/KG by Q4 2025, before firming further to USD 1.14/KG in Q1 2026. The global figure is calculated only from the regional series shown in this report, and the quarter-by-quarter path is set out in the table below.

European rPET Price Trend in 2025

Europe was the most expensive market in this report by a wide margin. Prices opened at USD 1.94/KG in Q1 2025, spiked to USD 2.32/KG in Q2 as demand met tight feedstock, then eased steadily through the rest of the period. The Q2 level was the high point across all regions.

North America rPET Price Trend in 2025

North America held the second-highest prices. After a steady first half near USD 1.75/KG, prices fell through the second half as feedstock flowed more freely, before a modest rebound at the start of 2026. The market stayed well above the Asian, South American, Indian, and African series throughout.

Northeast Asia rPET Price Trend in 2025

Northeast Asia sat in the middle of the range and softened steadily through the period. Prices eased from USD 1.35/KG in Q1 2025 to USD 0.99/KG by Q1 2026, with no quarter showing a meaningful recovery. The decline brought the region close to the lower-cost markets by the end of the period.

Southeast Asia rPET Price Trend in 2025

Southeast Asia traced a softer path with a late turn higher. Prices firmed from USD 1.11/KG in Q1 2025 to USD 1.18/KG in Q2, then fell through the second half to USD 0.92/KG in Q4 before a modest rebound to USD 0.98/KG in Q1 2026. The region tracked below North America and Europe throughout.

South America rPET Price Trend in 2025

South America saw the steepest decline in this report. Prices fell from USD 1.10/KG in Q1 2025 to USD 0.74/KG by Q4, a drop of about a third, before a modest rebound to USD 0.79/KG in Q1 2026. The region moved from the middle of the pack toward the lower end over the period.

Africa rPET Price Trend in 2025

Africa was among the most affordable and stable markets. Prices held in a narrow band, firming from USD 0.87/KG in Q1 2025 to USD 0.93/KG in Q3, then easing to USD 0.86/KG by Q1 2026. The region showed little of the volatility seen in Europe or South America.

India rPET Price Trend in 2025

India was the most affordable market in this report and one of the steadiest. Prices held near USD 0.79/KG in Q1 2025, dipped to USD 0.73/KG by Q3, then firmed back to USD 0.80/KG in Q1 2026. The narrow range reflected a stable, low-cost market through the period.

What Factors Drove rPET Costs in 2025?

• Regional regulation and demand. The wide gap between Europe and the lower-cost markets points to stronger recycled-content rules and demand in Europe and North America against more affordable supply elsewhere.
• The European peak and fade. Europe spiked in Q2 2025 then eased through the rest of the period, suggesting an early supply squeeze that loosened as the year went on.
• Broad second-half softening. Most regions fell through the second half of 2025, consistent with improving feedstock availability and cooler demand across the board.
• South American weakness. The steep one-third drop in South America was the sharpest regional move, pointing to ample local supply or weaker demand in that market.
• Low-cost, stable markets. India and Africa stayed below USD 1.00/KG with little volatility, reflecting affordable feedstock and steadier local conditions.
• A mixed turn into 2026. Several regions rebounded modestly in Q1 2026 while others kept easing, leaving the regional spread wide at the start of the year.

rPET Market Forecast for 2026

The rPET market forecast for 2026 keeps the wide regional spread in place. Europe and North America are projected to stay at the top of the range, while India, Africa, South America, and the Asian markets sit lower. The base case is a market where regulation and collection systems continue to set very different regional price levels.

The bull case for the premium markets is tighter recycled-content rules and feedstock keeping prices firm. The bear case is improving collection and cheaper virgin PET easing the squeeze, which would pull the higher-cost regions back toward the rest.

Expected rPET Price Range (remainder of 2026)

The projected ranges reflect the monthly values across the remainder of 2026 for each region. Europe sits well above the rest, while India, Africa, and South America anchor the lower end of the range.

Key Analyst Insights for the rPET Market

rPET is a market where regional regulation and collection systems set very different price levels, so it reads less like one market than several. The data showed a wide spread, with Europe and North America well above the rest, and that gap narrowed as the premium markets eased through the year. Here is what the data shows, latest first.

• March 2026. Europe held the top spot near USD 2.02/KG while North America rebounded toward USD 1.71/KG, keeping the two premium markets well clear of the rest. The spread had narrowed from its peak but remained wide.
• January 2026. Most regions sat near their lows, with Europe around USD 1.99/KG and the Asian markets close to USD 0.92 to 1.08/KG. The premium markets had come down, drawing the range together.
• December 2025. South America reached its low near USD 0.75/KG while Europe held above USD 2.05/KG, the widest the regional gap would be. The two ends of the market were pulling in opposite directions.
• September 2025. Europe eased to about USD 2.23/KG from its mid-year peak as the broad second-half softening began. The premium markets had started their retreat.
• June 2025. Europe hit its high near USD 2.39/KG, the peak of the entire series across all regions. Tight feedstock and firm recycled-content demand drove the squeeze.
• March 2025. Europe opened near USD 2.08/KG and India near USD 0.81/KG, framing the wide spread that defined the period. The premium and value markets were worlds apart from the start.

The data makes clear that rPET cannot be managed as a single global price. Regulation and collection systems create persistent gaps, with mandate-driven Europe and North America at the top and collection-rich India, Africa, and South America well below. The narrowing through the year came from the premium markets easing, not the cheaper ones rising. Watching recycled-content rules and feedstock collection in each region is the surest way to anticipate the next move.

Key Takeaways for Buyers and Manufacturers

With price levels set region by region, sourcing strategy matters as much as timing in this market.

For buyers, the wide regional spread is the central planning consideration.

• Source across the spread. Leaning on the lower-cost Indian, African, and South American markets, where logistics and food-grade certification allow, captures real savings.
• Plan for the premium. Where European or North American supply is required by regulation, building that cost in and securing volume early avoids being caught short.
• Watch collection and rules. Recycled-content mandates and feedstock collection rates are the clearest early read on where each regional market heads.

For recyclers and manufacturers, the value sits in food-grade capability and secure feedstock.

• Invest in food-grade capacity. Decontamination capability is what unlocks the premium, mandate-backed end of the market.
• Secure clean feedstock. Reliable streams of clean post-consumer bales are the binding constraint, so collection partnerships are worth building.
• Serve the mandate-backed demand. The premium markets offer the steadiest returns as recycled-content rules tighten.