Post-consumer Recycled Plastics in Consumer Electronics Market – Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented By Type (Polycarbonate (PC), Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC/ABS), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polystyrene (PS), Polypropylene (PP), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)), By Source (Non-bottle Rigid, Bottles, Other), By Application (TV Frames, Laptop Monitor Enclosures, LCD Panels, Portable Hand-held Devices, Wearables, Mobile Phone Bodies, Appliances & White Goods and Others), By Region & Competition, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 15.45 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	9.71%
Fastest Growing Segment	Laptop Monitor Enclosures
Largest Market	Asia Pacific
Market Size (2031)	USD 26.94 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Post-consumer Recycled Plastics in Consumer Electronics Market will grow from USD 15.45 Billion in 2025 to USD 26.94 Billion by 2031 at a 9.71% CAGR. Post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics in the consumer electronics market are reprocessed materials derived from end-of-life products, such as discarded devices and packaging, which are treated and reused to manufacture new electronic components like device casings and internal structures. The primary drivers supporting the growth of this market include stringent government regulations enforcing extended producer responsibility (EPR) and circular economy mandates that compel manufacturers to reduce virgin material reliance. Furthermore, ambitious corporate sustainability goals aimed at lowering carbon footprints, combined with rising consumer demand for environmentally responsible products, are fundamental factors propelling long-term market expansion.

However, a significant challenge impeding market proliferation is the technical difficulty of ensuring material purity and consistent mechanical performance, as contamination within the recycling stream often degrades the quality required for high-precision electronic applications. According to Plastics Recyclers Europe, in 2024, the recycling capacity for the ELV-WEEE plastics segment, which includes materials for electronics, reached nearly 0.8 million tonnes. This figure highlights the growing yet limited availability of high-grade recycled resins necessary to meet the escalating volume demands of the global electronics sector.

Key Market Drivers

The implementation of stringent environmental regulations and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies serves as a primary catalyst for the market. Governments globally are instituting frameworks that mandate original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to take financial and physical accountability for the post-consumer phase of their products, thereby incentivizing the integration of recycled materials to minimize waste liabilities. This legislative pressure is fundamentally reshaping supply chains by compelling producers to fund and organize the collection infrastructure necessary to secure a stable feedstock of recyclable plastics. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), March 2024, in the 'Global E-waste Monitor 2024', 81 countries had established e-waste policies or regulations, with 67 of these nations specifically applying the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle to manage electronic waste streams.

Simultaneously, the market is being propelled by intensified corporate commitments to carbon neutrality and circular economy initiatives. Leading electronics brands are aggressively increasing the percentage of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content in their device portfolios to meet sustainability targets and address the escalating consumer preference for eco-friendly technology. This strategic shift not only reduces dependence on virgin fossil-fuel-based polymers but also fosters innovation in material engineering to maintain product durability. Highlighting the scale of this material recovery potential, according to UNITAR, in 2024, the global volume of plastics embedded within generated e-waste reached an estimated 17 million tonnes in 2022. Furthermore, illustrating specific industry action, according to Samsung Electronics, June 2024, in the '2024 Sustainability Report', the company successfully incorporated recycled resin into 25% of the plastic parts procured for its manufacturing operations in 2023.

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Key Market Challenges

The technical difficulty of ensuring material purity and consistent mechanical performance serves as a primary obstacle to the growth of the post-consumer recycled plastics market within the consumer electronics sector. Manufacturers require high-precision resins that offer specific thermal, electrical, and aesthetic properties, but contamination in the recycling stream frequently degrades these essential characteristics. This degradation prevents reprocessed materials from meeting the strict quality standards necessary for device casings and internal structural components, creating a bottleneck where supply exists but fails to meet technical specifications.

Consequently, this inability to guarantee material integrity restricts the volume of usable recyclates available for production lines. According to Plastics Europe, in 2024, the electrical and electronic equipment sector accounted for only 6.2% of the total post-consumer recycled plastics uptake across the region. This low utilization rate demonstrates that despite significant waste generation, the market struggles to convert raw waste into the high-grade material required by the industry. The gap between collected waste and technically viable resin directly impedes the scalable integration of recycled plastics in new electronic devices.

Key Market Trends

The adoption of advanced chemical recycling is emerging as a transformative trend to circumvent the quality limitations of mechanical reprocessing in the consumer electronics sector. Unlike traditional methods that often result in down-cycled materials with aesthetic defects, chemical recycling depolymerizes waste into molecular feedstocks to create virgin-quality resins suitable for high-end device casings. This technological advancement allows manufacturers to incorporate significant recycled volumes without compromising on color saturation, surface finish, or structural durability. According to Plastics Today, May 2024, in the article 'Covestro Debuts Polycarbonate with 90% Recycled Content', Covestro successfully introduced a polycarbonate resin featuring 90% post-consumer recycled content that meets the stringent flammability and aesthetic standards required for electronic hardware, overcoming previous barriers regarding material purity.

Simultaneously, the integration of ocean-bound plastics into hardware components is intensifying as brands strive to combat marine pollution while diversifying their material sources. This trend involves intercepting plastic waste from coastal areas before it enters waterways and engineering it into durable polymers for device housings, audio equipment, and peripherals. This approach not only secures a unique feedstock stream but also aligns product design with urgent biodiversity conservation efforts, offering a tangible narrative for consumers. According to HP Inc., August 2024, in the article 'HP Computers Made with Ocean-Bound Plastics', the company reported that it has successfully diverted more than 60 million plastic bottles from entering the ocean to manufacture its portfolio of sustainable technology products.

Segmental Insights

Market analysis identifies Laptop Monitor Enclosures as the fastest growing segment within the Global Post-consumer Recycled Plastics in Consumer Electronics Market. This rapid expansion is primarily driven by original equipment manufacturers prioritizing large, high-surface-area components to achieve aggressive sustainability targets and comply with circular economy mandates. Recent advancements in compounding technologies have enabled recycled Polycarbonate and PC/ABS blends to meet the rigorous durability and aesthetic standards required for portable device exteriors. Consequently, major electronics brands are increasingly integrating these materials into chassis designs to visibly demonstrate environmental responsibility while maintaining product quality.

Regional Insights

The Asia Pacific region maintains a leading position in the global post-consumer recycled plastics in consumer electronics market, driven by its expansive electronics manufacturing infrastructure and high material consumption. This dominance is supported by strengthening regulatory frameworks that enforce extended producer responsibility and circular economy goals. For example, the E-Waste Management Rules in India mandate specific recycling targets, encouraging manufacturers to incorporate recovered materials into production. These legislative measures, coupled with the region’s capacity to process significant volumes of electronic waste, create a robust environment for the integration of recycled plastics.

Recent Developments

• In July 2025, LG Electronics reported a substantial advancement in its circular economy initiatives, announcing a 36% year-over-year increase in the volume of recycled plastic utilized across its product lines. In its annual sustainability report, the company highlighted that it had achieved a 97.4% waste recycling rate at its global production facilities, effectively surpassing its 2030 target ahead of schedule. The announcement detailed the expanded application of post-consumer recycled materials in various consumer electronics categories, reinforcing the manufacturer's commitment to using a cumulative total of 600,000 tons of recycled plastics by the end of the decade.
• In September 2024, Covestro launched a new portfolio of high-performance polycarbonate resins specifically engineered for the electronics industry, featuring up to 90% post-consumer recycled content. Part of the Makrolon R series, these materials were developed to deliver durability and aesthetic quality comparable to virgin resins while offering a significantly reduced carbon footprint. The company emphasized that this innovation would enable consumer electronics manufacturers to meet increasingly stringent sustainability regulations and consumer demands for eco-friendly devices. This breakthrough in material science provided a scalable solution for reducing the environmental impact of device housings and structural components in the global electronics market.
• In April 2024, Samsung Electronics disclosed that its newly released Galaxy S24 series incorporated a diverse range of recycled materials, including a novel plastic derived from discarded thermoplastic polyurethane generated during shoe manufacturing. The company established a target to recover nearly 100 metric tons of recycled plastics through these flagship devices by the end of the year. This initiative involved integrating post-consumer recycled plastics into both internal and external components, demonstrating the viability of high-performance recycled materials in premium consumer electronics. The move aligned with the manufacturer's broader environmental strategy to minimize plastic waste and enhance resource circularity across its mobile product lines.
• In January 2024, Logitech announced a major sustainability update for its video collaboration portfolio, revealing that devices running on the CollabOS operating system would henceforth be manufactured using post-consumer recycled plastics. The company described this initiative as a transition to "next-life plastics," which involved redesigning existing products such as the Rally Bar and Tap IP without altering their price or technical quality. The Chief Operating Officer at Logitech noted that this strategic shift was intended to assist enterprise customers in managing their carbon footprints. This development marked a significant step in reducing the industry's reliance on virgin fossil-based materials for conference room technology.

Key Market Players

• BASF SE
• Saudi Basic Industries Corporation
• Covestro AG
• Trinseo SA
• MBA Polymers, Inc.
• INEOS Styrolution Group GmbH
• LAVERGNE, Inc.
• PolyVisions

By Type	By Source	By Application	By Region
Polycarbonate (PC) Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC/ABS) Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Polystyrene (PS) Polypropylene (PP) Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)	Non-bottle Rigid Bottles Other	TV Frames Laptop Monitor Enclosures LCD Panels Portable Hand-held Devices Wearables Mobile Phone Bodies Appliances & White Goods and Others	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Post-consumer Recycled Plastics in Consumer Electronics Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Post-consumer Recycled Plastics in Consumer Electronics Market, By Type:

• Polycarbonate (PC)
• Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC/ABS)
• Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
• Polystyrene (PS)
• Polypropylene (PP)
• Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)

• Post-consumer Recycled Plastics in Consumer Electronics Market, By Source:

• Non-bottle Rigid
• Bottles
• Other

• Post-consumer Recycled Plastics in Consumer Electronics Market, By Application:

• TV Frames
• Laptop Monitor Enclosures
• LCD Panels
• Portable Hand-held Devices
• Wearables
• Mobile Phone Bodies
• Appliances & White Goods and Others

• Post-consumer Recycled Plastics in Consumer Electronics Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE