Plastics, more and more plants are closing in Europe and now recycling is also collapsing
The sector's suffering is growing and consigns us to dependence on foreign countries: especially the USA, the Middle East and China. An issue that not only concerns competitiveness, but also puts the green transition at risk, denounces Plastics Europe
3' min read
3' min read
Plastic production in Europe continues to decline, at an even faster rate than expected. And for the first time since 2018, there is also a sharp decline for plastics derived from recycling. It is not a favourable trend, beyond what one might think, that highlighted by the latest data collected by Plastics Europe, and the industry association not only raises yet another alarm on the deindustrialisation front in the Old Continent, but also warns in relation to environmental targets.
"The erosion of European competitiveness threatens the transition of our industry," reads the comment to the data. "The EU's transformation into a circular system for plastics is in grave danger because of imports that do not always meet European standards," warns Marco ten Bruggencate, president of the association. "The hard truth is that we are already witnessing the closure of production facilities in the EU, resulting in the relocation of industry, jobs and sustainable investments."
The sector still employs more than 1.5 million people in Europe in 51,700 companies, which last year generated a turnover of around EUR 365 billion, recalls Plastics Europe, but there are increasingly acute signs of distress, which consign us to a growing dependence on foreign countries, in particular the United States, the Middle East and China, where production costs are much lower (in the first two cases also due to the possibility of using 'home-made' hydrocarbons) and there are large, sometimes enormous, plants, which allow for strong economies of scale.
Globally, according to Plastics Europe, plastics production increased by 3.4% last year: from 400 to 413 million tonnes. In the European Union, on the other hand, there was a drop of 8.3%, from almost 59 million to 54 million tonnes, of which 42.9 million tonnes were virgin plastics, which are derived from fossil fuels.
For the first time in at least six years - as mentioned - the production of secondary plastics also went into reverse, with a drop of 7.8% (to 7.1 million tonnes) for those recycled with mechanical systems, which are still by far the most popular.
