Performance Report 2023:
On a direct path towards the circular economy

The environmental benefit of Swiss Recycle has doubled in the last 30 years. In the Performance Report 2023, Swiss Recycle shows the benefits and material flows of the individual recycling systems in detail. The public can thus transparently track what happens to the collected recyclables.

Recycling has become indispensable in Switzerland. Whereas one third of municipal waste was recycled in 1992, this proportion could be increased to over half by 2022. Thanks to this collection diligence of the population and the functioning recycling systems, 507,000 tonnes of CO2eq can be saved annually. This corresponds to the environmental impact of 183,000 flights around the world. This means that the environmental benefit of recycling has almost doubled since 1992.

Transparency from collection to recycling
In Swiss Recycle's Performance Report 2023, the development of the recycling industry over the past 30 years becomes visible and tangible. Material flow diagrams show transparently how the collected recyclables are recovered.

On the direct road to a circular economy
The EU has set ambitious targets with the circular economy package. However, these are based on rigid quotas. A recycling quota says little about the environmental benefit achieved, as it is a quantitative and not a qualitative parameter. Therefore, it will also be a matter of developing good indicators for measuring the circular economy. Further optimisation requires close cooperation along the entire value chain. The recyclability (design for recycling) of products and packaging is essential. This increases the quality of the recyclate, its demand and consequently the environmental benefit.

Together with SENS eRecycling and other members, Swiss Recycle is helping to shape the further development of a holistic circular economy in Switzerland. 

Further information on the 2023 performance report can be found on the Swiss Recycle website (in German).