Waste-to-Energy barometer shows strong performance in Europe

While Australia’s Waste-to-Energy (WtE) industry is in its infancy, the global industry shows stable performance in a challenging environment, according to the industry barometer.

Waste-to-Energy Industry Barometer 2025 found that despite continuing low waste volumes due to the weak economy in Europe, plant operators maintain solid performance and the thermal waste industry will remain strong overall in 2025.

The WtE Industry Barometer has been conducted annually since 2012 by Cologne-based consulting firm ecoprog. The survey is supported by the Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants (CEWEP), the European umbrella organisation of thermal waste treatment plant operators.

The 2025 barometer found that among operators of thermal waste treatment plants, the business climate and business expectations were higher than the already high figures of the previous year, at 92.5 and 87.6 points, respectively. Only the current business situation was assessed slightly worse at 97.6 points, and 102.0 for 2024.

ecoprog interprets the operators’ positive market assessment as an indication that capacities for treating non-recyclable waste in Europe remain limited. One of the main reasons for this is the increasingly stringent restrictions and burdens on waste disposal in many European countries.

Currently, there are also bottlenecks in existing capacities in many markets. In countries such as Germany and France, plant availability has declined due to ageing plant infrastructure. The cement industry, which has been affected by the economic crisis, is also incinerating less waste.

Industrial companies in the sector are also performing well, with the business climate rising slightly to 98.3 points, (2024: 97.5).

The index for the current business situation improved slightly to 113.8 points, while business expectations declined marginally to 84.9 points.

Ninety-four per cent of the plant manufacturers and suppliers surveyed rate their current situation as good or satisfactory (2024: 90 per cent).

Sixty-one per cent consider their order backlog to be sufficient, 24 per cent as comparatively high. Demand remained unchanged for half of the companies, with 28 per cent reporting an improvement.

This year’s industry barometer also examined the topics of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and hazardous waste.

Almost half of the operators of thermal waste treatment plants expect more PFAS-contaminated waste to be treated thermally in the future, with 38 per cent seeing the lack of standardised measurement methods as a challenge, and a quarter expect mandatory measurements in air, water and residues.

With regard to hazardous waste, 23 per cent of operators of thermal waste treatment plants see a shortage in their region. The issue is also gaining importance among industrial companies in the sector, with 30 per cent already active in this area, and another 15 per cent considering entering the market.

For more information, visit: www.cewep.eu