Paris, April 21 st 2015
PRESS RELEASE
Plastics Packaging organisations call for new investment in European Polymer Production and
for an early restoration of normal supplies
The four largest national organisations representing the plastics packaging industry in Europe, Elipso
(France) , IK , (Germany ) , BPF and PAFA (UK) have called on polymer producers to invest more in
European polymer production facilities.
This is set against a significantly worsening supply situation :
- allocated supplies for polyethylene and polypropylene, with increasingly common supply
interruptions.
- rapidly escalating ethylene prices driving up the price of several polymers.
- no announcements of any return to normal supply conditions or on the trends ahead.
An urgent restoration of normal supply is imperative, say the four organisations, as the industry is in
danger of losing credibility with its customers as we want to avert any possibility that they look to
alternative materials to satisfy their needs.
The four organisations say that unless we have security of supply for our raw materials then we do
not have a truly sustainable plastics packaging industry , which has traditionally accounted for more
than one third of Europe's polymer consumption.
It is understood that polymer producers are increasingly likely to invest in the faster growing markets
of Asia and the Americas. Consequently there is unlikely to be significant investment forthcoming to
support the European marketplace. Ageing plant is more prone to breakdown and likely to suffer
from the maintenance issues frequently cited as a cause of the 'forces majeures'. Only new
investment will correct this situation, say the four organisations.
They say that Europe is a global leader and powerhouse of innovation not only in plastics packaging
technology but also in waste management organisation and techniques such as recycling and the
incorporation of recyclate into plastics packaging products. The development of this expertise here in
Europe can support the stronger evolution of plastics packaging markets and indeed the acceptance
of plastics packaging around the world. For this we need the polymer producers to invest in the
production of their raw materials here in Europe.
The four organisations also paid tribute to plastics packaging converters who have been skilfully
managing this situation of interrupted supply and higher prices in the last months. This has been a
high wire balancing act amid conditions not witnessed for many years, they say.
Based in London, the British Plastics Federation is the trade association for
the UK plastics industry. With some 470 member firms it represents raw material suppliers, both
polymers and additives, plastics processors, machinery and equipment suppliers to the industry,
recyclers and service providers. See www.bpf.co.uk
The Packaging and Films Association (PAFA) represents producers and
suppliers of plastic packaging and flexible packaging to the UK market. See www.pafa.org.uk/
ELIPSO represents plastic and flexible packaging manufacturers in France. Its
130 members give it 75- 90% representativeness depending on the sector of activity. The plastic and
flexible packaging industries in France employ 38,000 people in 400 companies, with total annual
revenue of €7.6 billion.
www.elipso.org
Press contact: Françoise Gerardi, Tel:+33 (0)6 80 45 38 59/Christophe Morvan: [email protected]
Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V. represents with over 300
members 80 % of the German plastics packaging market. The plastics packaging companies in
Germany employ more than 90.000 people, with total annual turnover of about 13 billion euros. IK is
involved with the interests of the entire plastics packaging industry in Germany. - Contact: Heike
Richter, Tel: +49 (0)6172 / 92 66 68, [email protected]