K 2019 Ausgabe 2

•••8••• Branchennews Hoping the best,preparing for the worst European plastics industry faces challenges on several fronts I n the run-up to K 2019, the Euro- pean plastics industry faces chal- lenges on several fronts. Overall, the economy is just bumping along; the prolonged exit of the UK from the European Union is creating disquiet; major tradition- al export markets are wobbling; and hardening attitudes of con- sumers towards plastics packag- ing are leading to hasty – some say ill-judged – moves among law makers setting out a path to the circular economy. The German economy, tradition- ally the powerhouse of Europe, is in a tense situation, with exports from and imports to the country both falling in recent months. One survey of industry executives indi- cated that factory activity fell be- yond already poor expectations in March. Analysts at consultant IHS Markit concluded that the Ger- man manufacturing sector “was clearly in deep recession”. Germa- ny is not alone. Unemployment in Italy has started to rise again, for example. In fact, the average purchasing managers index (PMI) for the eurozone (the 19 countries that use the euro) is now below 50 (neutral). Of the four largest economies, only Spain is in posi- tive territory. Some analysts do expect GDP in the eurozone to in- crease this year, although the fig- ure will be small. And across the Channel, UK manufacturing grew faster than in over in a year in March – but largely because facto- ries have been stockpiling goods in anticipation of Brexit. Sales of the plastics processing industry in Germany did actually rise by over three per cent last year, roughly twice as fast as GDP, notes Oliver Möllenstädt, Execu- tive Director of GKV, the German Association of Plastics Converters (GKV). “This is remarkable as the economy moves in an increasingly uncertain international environ- ment,” he says. But solid growth across much of the industry “must not hide the fact that the plastics industry faces major chal- lenges. The debate about plas- tics in the environment, which is sometimes very emotional in the media and the public, has mas- sive impact on plastics process- ing companies”. Möllenstädt says the GKV’s annual company sur- vey showed the vast majority of companies were affected. “In our view, the course of political and public debate so far is going in the wrong direction,” he says. “The European Commission and nation- al governments are attempting to address consumer concerns with symbolic gestures such as restric- tions on single-use plastics (SUPs) and carrier bags. This strategy may quiet the public debate in the short term and give the impres- sion of high activity, but it is not effective in the interest of the en- vironment and sustainability.” The European Parliament ap- proved the Single-Use Plastics Directive in March. It is likely to be implemented across member states by 2021. The rules address the ten most found items on EU beaches. Measures include a ban on selected single-use plastics products for which alternatives exist on the market – cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, straws, and stirrers, as well as cups, food and beverage containers made of ex- panded polystyrene and on all products made of oxo-degradable plastic – plus sticks for balloons. Also included in the Directive is a 90 per cent separate collection target for plastic bottles by 2029 (77 per cent by 2025) and the in- troduction of design require- ments to connect caps to bottles, as well as a target to incorporate 25 per cent of recycled plastic in PET bottles as from 2025 and 30 per cent in all plastic bottles as from 2030. How much will bioplastics con- tribute to the circular economy? Europe is proving to be an im- portant centre for production of these materials. Latest market data compiled by European Bio- plastics (in cooperation with the Nova-Institute) shows around 20 per cent of global bioplastics pro- duction capacity, which hit 2.11 million tonnes in 2018, is located in Europe. That figure should to grow to 27 per cent by 2023, sup- ported by recently adopted poli- cies in several European Member States, notably Italy and France. Sales of plastics proces- sing industry is rising. Photo: Messe Düsseldorf / C. Tillmann Mehrweganteil geht zurück Der Anteil von Mehrwegverpackungen bei Getränken ist nach Angaben des Umweltbundesamtes (UBA) weiterhin rückläufig. Im Jahr 2017 wurden in Deutsch- land 42,2 Prozent aller Getränke in Mehrweggebin- den abgefüllt und 57,8 Prozent in Einweggebinden. Damit lag der Anteil von Mehrwegflaschen 0,7 Pro- zentpunkte unter demWert des Jahres 2016. Laut der jüngsten Auswertung des UBA zur Geträn- keabfüllung in Deutschland liegt der Mehrweganteil nach wie vor deutlich unter dem im Verpackungsge- setz vorgegebenen Ziel von 70 Prozent. Maria Krautz- berger, Präsidentin des UBA: „Kurze Transportwege und Mehrwegverpackungen sind wichtig, um Um- weltbelastungen und Abfälle zu vermeiden. Dafür brauchen wir gut funktionierende Mehrwegsyste- me.“ Eine Ausnahme bei den geringen Mehrwegan- teilen bildet allein Bier, wo der Mehrweganteil bis heute noch bei knapp 82 Prozent liegt. Doch auch hier wird öfter zu Einwegflaschen und Dosen gegrif- fen: 2010 lag der Mehrweganteil noch bei gut 88 Pro- zent. AZO GmbH + Co. KG www.azo.com Halle: 9 • Stand: C42 Baden-Württemberg International www.bw-invest.de Halle: 12 • Stand: E19 DoldConsulting www.dold-consulting.com Halle: 3 • Stand: G96 EREMA Group GmbH www.erema-group.com Halle: 9 • Stand: C05 Euromac Srl www.euromacslitters.com Halle: 3 • Stand: F70 GUIDOLIN GIROTTO SRL www.guidolingirotto.com Halle: 3 • Stand: C12 huzap GmbH www.huzap.com Halle: 9 • Stand: D36 Kraiburg TPE GmbH & Co. KG www.kraiburg-tpe.com Halle: 6 • Stand: C58-04 + E22 KURTZ GmbH www.kurtzersa.de Halle: 13 • Stand: B27 Leister Technologies AG www.leister.com Halle: 11 • Stand: D22 STEIN Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG www.stein-maschinenbau.de Halle: 16 • Stand: F15 Ultra System S.A. www.ultrasystem.ch Halle: 13 • Stand: C07 Zoppas Industries Heating Element Technologies www.zoppasindustries.com Halle: 13 • Stand: A38 Nichtaussteller: Taizhou International Convention & Exhibition Center Co., Ltd. en.china-pec.com Messetelegramm Anzeige