Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
February 07, 2013 01:00 AM

Plastics groups react to European Union industrial policy

By David Eldridge
EUROPEAN PLASTICS NEWS
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    BRUSSELS -- In October, the European Commission announced six priority areas as part of a renewed industrial policy that it hopes will improve industry's share of the European Union's GDP from the current level of 15.6 percent to approximately 20 percent by 2020.

    The six priority areas are: advanced manufacturing technologies for clean production, markets for key enabling technologies, bio-based products, sustainable construction and raw materials, clean vehicles, and smart grids.

    European plastics associations have responded positively to the Commission's policy priorities, but they also have varied and diverging concerns.

    European Bioplastics, the association of bioplastics producers, welcomed the Commission's policy announcement. Andy Sweetman, chairman of the group, said in a statement that bio-based markets "could make a substantial contribution to the EU's transformation into a more sustainable economy. The right legislation and framework conditions will, however, be needed to encourage uptake of renewable raw materials for industrial use".

    Plastics are likely to benefit in many of the six priority areas, but the focus on bio-based products could give a particular boost to plastics from renewable resources.

    PlasticsEurope has members that produce polymers from both fossil and renewable resources and is generally supportive of bioplastics growing their market share. But its position includes recommendations about verifying claims for bioplastics about biodegradability and compostability, and recognising that function and cost are also key factors when plastics - whether fossil or bio-based - are selected for products.

    Wilfried Haensel, executive director at PlasticsEurope, said: "We have seen the announcement of the Commission and welcome the goal to strengthen the industrial basis of Europe. In our contacts with the Commission on various topics we are reminding them that they should ensure that the interests of industrial production in Europe are better recognized than in the past when it comes to decisions on environmental and other issues."

    European Bioplastics' main concern, though, is that the Commission is not backing its intentions with the necessary action. Policy discussions with the Commission have been going on for some time and the process is "not easy", said Roland Scharathow, who is deputy managing director and in charge of policy affairs at European Bioplastics.

    The association is concerned that investment in bioplastics production is growing faster in Asia and South America than it is in Europe. In research it published in October, European Bioplastics showed that in 2011 Asia's share of bioplastics production capacity was 34.6 percent, South America's was 32.8 percent and Europe's was 18.5 percent. By 2016, it expects new investments to boost these shares to 46.3 percent in Asia and 45.1 percent in South America while Europe's share will drop to 4.9 percent.

    Europe-based bioplastics producers would benefit if there were an EU policy framework that supports investment in production similar to the one in place for renewable energy and biofuels. Acting on this framework, member states have enacted various measures such as biofuel product quotas and producer tax breaks.

    Getting a similar EU framework for biochemicals and bioplastics has been difficult, however, said Scharathow.

    Europe has the most highly regulated agricultural market in the world and this causes feedstock price problems for bioplastics producers. There are a lot of vested interests in maintaining high prices, although Scharathow said: "Farmers are supportive of bioplastics as they see us as a feedstock market of the future."

    European Bioplastics faces some large policy hurdles on the production side, but it is also pursuing other policy areas such as market development and recycling improvements.

    The association may make more headway with the Commission with its participation in the Biobased Industries Public Private Partnership (PPP). This is a consortium of 30 companies and clusters involved in a wide range of bio-based products, from chemicals and paper, to food and biofuels. The PPP has submitted a proposal to the Commission which sets out a vision for how a bio-based economy can be achieved.

    Scharathow stressed that the PPP proposal has not yet been approved, but if it is, it could channel R&D investment funds to developing new materials. The EU launched its Horizon 2020 research and innovation program in 2011, and this will direct billions of euros of R&D investment into a variety of areas, including some that are analogous to the industrial policy priorities, such as bio-based products.

    Scharathow said the PPP's R&D plans include improving biorefinery technology and looking at the potential for using new types of biomass feedstocks and producing new biomaterials.

    With obstacles in the way of Europe boosting production volumes, the development of new bioplastics may become the key weapon with which European bioplastics producers can fight back against Asian and South American competitors.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Graham Packaging updates ESG efforts
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Biden sets US goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials
    2
    Redline's ‘outrageous cultural behaviors' retain top employees
    3
    Industry sees Biden bioplastics goal as serious signal
    4
    Official says Norfolk Southern fire likely started in rail car containing resin
    5
    Commodity prices rise; engineering resins drop
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified