The European Plastics Converters, created more than 10 years ago to represent the region's plastics processors, plans to streamline to reflect members' interests and allow it to react more quickly to the stream of regulations from the European Commission.
The new structure of Brussels, Belgium-based EuPC, which has a membership of more than 40 national and pan-European trade associations representing 30,000 plastics processors, creates three market divisions: packaging, building and construction, and automotive and transport.
The choices reflect the significance of plastics consumption in those markets and the number of EC regulations adopted or proposed for all three, said director Alexandre Dangis. EuPC will consider divisions for consumer products, leisure products or furniture, depending on where the EC proposes new regulations, Dangis said.
In addition, EuPC will have policy committees dealing with issues of general interest to processors such as health, safety and environment; raw materials; trade; education and training; and communications.
EuPC's general assembly approved the changes in December.
``We have set up this structure to be able to activate more and more-direct participation from companies inside these divisions. It is difficult to get the attention of the small and medium-size firms,'' Dangis said. ``Often these companies are far away from Brussels and find it difficult to understand the complexity of all the regulations that will have an impact on their future survival.''
EuPC President Victor Dierinckx added: ``The association needed to focus its activities more on market development, without losing the issues management and the common problems affecting plastics converters such as health, safety and environment and raw materials.''
Meanwhile, the group, which held the European Plastics Forum 2000 symposium, announced it again will bring together players in the plastics industry with decision makers from the EC and European Parliament in a similar event next year.
Plastics Forum 2003, a joint initiative with the resin industry trade group Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe, will be held in May or June 2003 in Brussels.