Plastic bottles
zondag 9 juni 2013
The Future of Plastic Packaging
Plastic Packaging: Market Outlook
With a
turnover of over €40 billion plastic packaging is market leader and represents 40%
of the total packaging market turnover. Between now and 2016, market share will
grow in both the flexible and rigid packaging sectors, with the food sector
being the biggest end-use sector with around 17 million tonnes in 2016
globally.
Part of the
rising consumption is offset by light-weighting in rigid articles and reducing
film thickness, basically doing more with less and becoming more resource
efficient. In addition, the average plastic packaging weight has been reduced
by almost 30% over the last ten years without compromising either strength or
durability.
Opportunities
for greater use of plastic packaging are clear in the food sector.
The
resources required to produce food outweigh by far those needed to manufacture
the packaging. But saving food should not only be among our priorities from an
environmental point of view, but from an ethical one as well. Where we do see
that more effort is required is at the end-of-life: no packaging, be it plastic
or other, should end up in landfills.
Innovations
for the future will extend the shelf life for food thereby extending its
availability to the consumer when purchased and stored at home. Breathable and
modified atmosphere packaging are already on the market for fruit, vegetables
fish and meat that contribute greatly to Food Waste reduction; a critical
consideration with global population increases and the food demands this
increase will place on our environment and resources. Packaging is crucial for
the reduction of food waste along the food chain.
Plastics
are lightweight, durable and resistant to a wide range of environments. Greater
protection of goods can be offered with thin-walled plastic packaging compared
to other materials and still maintain their strength. Plastics' lightweight
means that less energy is required in order to transport a same batch of packed
goods.
Plastic
packaging has an advantage over other materials when it comes to resource
efficiency: if plastic packaging were replaced by alternative materials, the
related energy consumption would double, GHG emissions would nearly triple and
packaging waste in tonnes would nearly quadruple.
Plastic
packaging is recyclable. When recycling is not possible their high net calorific
content means it can be used for advanced thermal recovery thereby displacing
virgin fossils fuels.
Bioplastics
still occupy a niche of the plastics market in Europe ,
but it is growing. Carrier bags in non-biodegradable plastics are now being
phased out in Italy
by law, and bags in biodegradable materials are taking their place. Other
European countries could follow suit. The European Commission is now assessing
options to reduce single-use plastic carrier bags across the EU. At the moment,
there are numerous local initiatives ongoing to boost bioplastics production in
Europe . In Sardinia ,
for example, Italian energy company Eni, through its chemicals subsidiary
Versalis has formed Matrica, a “green chemistry” joint venture with Novamont,
where new production facilities will be established for bio-based monomers,
intermediates for elastomers and plastics, and fillers.
zaterdag 4 mei 2013
Polymer prices fell in April 2013
Polymer prices fell last month as demand was below the level normally expected for the beginning of springtime.
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