The global demand for thermoplastics is expected to grow by around 100,000 tonnes by 2015, driven by the developing economies. Polyethylene comprises 35% of this market and polypropylene is 24%, according to leading market consultant Noru Tsalic of Applied Market Information (AMI).
While producing 21.5% of the world’s total volume of plastics material, the European plastics industry also provides jobs to 1.6 million Europeans - informs PlasticsEurope in his own annual report.
According to AMI's recently published European Plastics Industry Report 2011, 2010 saw a recovery in demand for most thermoplastics, after two of the worst years the industry has seen since the oil shocks of the 1970s.
We publish an article written by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Bastian, who is managing director of the Southern German Plastics Centre. His text is related with the current situation in the plastics market.
Bioplastics Compounding & Processing 2012 is an international industry conference on the profitable use of bioplastics. It is scheduled on 8-9 May 2012 in Miami, USA.
AMI’s 3rd annual international conference on PVC compounding was held in Dusseldorf, Germany to debate the latest innovations in vinyl additives and recipes.
The Austrian consulting firm denkstatt has now published the results of a current study regarding the climatic effects of carrier bags made of plastic and paper.
The Environment Agency of the UK Government published a Life Cycle Assessment of Supermarket Carrier Bags. The Report shows that the global-warming potential (GWP) of the lightweight oxo-bio carrier bag is much lower than that of starch-polyester blend bags.
The recession has increased awareness in Russia of the need to press ahead with modernising the economy. The best form of protection against future recessions is greater diversification and focus on innovation in the national economy.
Growth opportunities for blow moulders, especially those in PET, are in no short supply. Researchers suggest that the latent potential for PET barrier bottles in beer, wine, and milk is equivalent to the current size of the carbonated soft drinks (CSD) market for PET bottles in Europe, which was just under 1 million tonnes in 2010.
The construction industry in Europe has been in decline since 2008, with figures from Euroconstruct showing total spend of 1444 billion euros in 2008, 1316 in 2009 and an anticipated 1264 in 2010.
Society is changing. While the average age of the population is falling in many countries of Africa and Asia, people in the Western industrialised nations are growing older. In addition, the pace of life is increasing all over the world. This is why consumers are increasingly demanding product packages permitting efficient handling – a challenge for industry.
