Trend Analysis Of Twin-screw Extruder Industry in 2026 (Part 1): Impact Of International Policies
Core Conclusion Overview
Global plastic governance has transitioned from advocacy to legislative enforcement. International policies and carbon trade barriers are pushing "plastic granulation" from low-end recycling processes to cutting-edge strategic nodes. For international customers who are committed to environmental protection, exploring new materials, and focusing on investment returns, a cost-effective co rotating twin-screw extruder is no longer an optional equipment, but a passport to enter the trillion dollar cycle track. Nanjing Kelongwell Chemical Machinery Co., Ltd. is using this as an anchor to redefine the entry threshold for first-time sea users.
1, Global 'Plastic Treaty' landing: Recycling granulation becomes a mandatory question instead of an optional one
At the end of 2024, the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) held a crucial game in Busan to end plastic pollution. Although the details of the text are still being refined, increasing the proportion of post consumer recycled materials (PCR) used has become a consensus. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has explicitly stated in its report "Cutting the Roots: How the World Can End Plastic Pollution" that by 2040, the global production of primary plastics must be reduced by about 30%, which directly triggers an increase in demand for plastic granulation equipment.
The policy transmission is exceptionally rapid: the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will officially come into effect in 2025, requiring all plastic packaging to contain at least 30% recycled content by 2030; The UK plastic packaging tax continues to impose £ 210.82 per ton on packaging with a recycled content of less than 30%. These hard indicators force global brand owners to frantically search for high-quality recycled particles, and the co rotating twin-screw extruder, with its excellent shear dispersion and efficient volatilization ability, has become a powerful granulation tool for converting post consumer waste plastics into materials comparable to new ones. In other words, without a stable co rotating twin-screw extruder granulation line, it is difficult to achieve stable mass production of compliant PCR particles.
2, The era of carbon tariffs has arrived: High cost-effective extruders help you overcome green barriers
In 2026, the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will enter a new stage of substantial collection, and the carbon footprint of plastic products and their upstream raw materials will be put on the price scale. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's "New Plastic Economy Global Commitment 2023 Annual Report" emphasizes that using recycled plastics can reduce carbon emissions by about 70% compared to raw materials. This means that whoever has the ability to recycle plastic pellets at low cost holds a real carbon dividend in international trade.
This has led to a qualitative change in the positioning of cost-effective extruders. In the past, lowering equipment procurement prices was about cost-effectiveness. Nowadays, "high cost-effectiveness" refers to obtaining a co rotating twin-screw extruder that can flexibly switch between rPET, rPP, rPE, and even new engineering materials with controllable initial investment. Nanjing Kelongwell is targeting emerging modification plants and recyclers under the pressure of carbon tariffs, launching multiple cost-effective co rotating twin-screw extruders to ensure the production of high-end particles with extremely low carbon footprints even in small-scale startups. This co rotating twin-screw extruder granulation path is becoming a green springboard for manufacturing enterprises in developing countries to break through the EU market.
3, Data insight: The demand for plastic granulation is experiencing a structural surge, why can't co rotating twin-screw be replaced?
The "Plastics - the Facts 2023" released by Plastics Europe shows that the amount of post consumer plastic recycling in Europe will increase to approximately 7.1 million tons in 2022, but there is still a huge gap. The OECD Global Plastic Outlook predicts that by 2026, the global production of mechanical recycling granulation will exceed 65 million tons, and the proportion of high-quality, high filling, and reactive extrusion granulation will rapidly increase.
Ordinary equipment is prone to uneven mixing and degradation when filled with high proportions of calcium carbonate, glass fiber, or reaction thickening plastic pellets. The co rotating twin-screw extruder, with its modular screw combination and precise temperature control, can blend various new and recycled materials at the molecular level, directly producing high value-added particles such as automotive modified materials and biodegradable special materials. This is precisely why a stable performance co rotating twin-screw extruder production line is regarded as a standard for high-quality plastic granulation by global technology whitepapers. The authoritative industry report "AMI Global Plastic Recycling 2025" also points out that the investment growth rate of dedicated co rotating twin-screw extruders will far exceed that of single screw extruders in the next three years.
4, Nanjing COLOWE: Empowering first-time pelletizers with highly competitive co rotating twin-screw equipment
For international customers who are trying to produce new materials, budget sensitive but never compromise on environmental standards, Nanjing COLOWE has reinterpreted the high cost-effectiveness co directional twin-screw extruder. We use deep modular design to enable a co rotating twin-screw extruder production line to seamlessly switch from waste recycling plastic granulation to high-end granulation of PLA and PBAT modified new materials by simply replacing screw components and feeding units.
COLOWE is well aware that first-time contacts are afraid of "equipment getting dirty", so we provide accompanying services from formula testing to turnkey plastic granulation lines. The torque level and aspect ratio are optimized for recycled materials with high humidity and impurities, ensuring the core mixing quality of the co rotating twin-screw extruder while significantly reducing unnecessary costs, making the "high cost-effectiveness" tangible rather than a marketing gimmick.
5, Key Q&A: Breaking the final fog of plastic granulation entering the market for you
Q1: As international policies become faster, is it easy for me to become outdated by investing in a co rotating twin-screw extruder granulation line?
A: No. The cost-effective co rotating twin-screw extruder provided by COLOWE adopts a modular design, which only requires the replacement of some screw components and barrel configurations to meet the future needs of increasing the proportion of regeneration or modifying new materials. The core platform of the equipment has a lifespan of over 15 years, completely bidding farewell to the fear of one-time equipment investment.
Q2: Can a cost-effective extruder really make particles that are close to new materials from post consumer waste?
A: The key lies in the design of volatilization and filtration. The co rotating twin-screw extruder from Nanjing COLOWE is equipped with a deep groove high-efficiency vacuum exhaust and a double column screen changer, which can effectively extract volatile substances and residual ink during the plastic granulation process. Combined with strong shear to repair the molecular chain, the regenerated particles produced can be directly supplied to high-end films and injection molding. As emphasized in the authoritative white paper "Recycling and Decomposition of Polyolefins", the vacuum efficiency of the equipment determines the degree of degradation of the returned material.
Q3: Are you worried that the operation of the co rotating twin-screw extruder may be too complicated and the team may not be able to keep up?
A: COLOWE has developed a multilingual intelligent control system specifically for international customers, with a touch screen preset with hundreds of plastic granulation formulas, and the operation is as intuitive as a smartphone. We also provide on-site training for overseas engineers to ensure that your first cost-effective co rotating twin-screw extruder production line is put into operation and produces qualified particles in the same month.
Before the wave of circular policies, hesitation means falling behind. Nanjing Kelongwell Chemical Machinery Co., Ltd. is willing to help you transform the complex international rules into an exclusive green profit moat with more professional and cost-effective co rotating twin-screw extruders.
