The European plastics industry has published a manifesto alerting Brussels to the many hurdles it faces and which it hopes will influence European Union (EU) policy.
The wide ranging manifesto, written by leading trade bodies PlasticsEurope and EuPC, makes recommendations to policymakers, seeking their support for the industry’s competitiveness which the industry argues is under threat from regulation, high energy costs and negative perceptions.
Patrick Thomas, president of PlasticsEurope and chief executive of Bayer MaterialScience, told a press conference in Brussels the manifesto's issues were familiar: “What’s new is that it’s the entire plastics industry... getting together and bringing our combined forces to bear on the new [European] Commission.”
The manifesto, which was has been sent to policymakers at EU and national levels, was launched today at the PolyTalk 2014 event organised by PlasticsEurope
“Today we move to the front foot,” said Thomas at the opening of the conference, which is being held in the Belgian capital.
Asked if the main impediment to competitiveness was Europe's high energy costs compared with the US – which has been much quicker to exploit shale gas reserves – Thomas said: “High energy costs are not the issue. The issue is a level playing field.”
Energy costs vary widely in EU countries, and movement towards energy market harmonisation has been slow.
Michael Kundel, president of EuPC and Renolit chief executive, said: “We need a single EU energy market and a level playing field in order to ensure competitiveness.”
The manifesto outlines challenges for the European plastics industry in five key areas: energy and raw materials, where costs are high in comparison with the US and its shale gas boom; maintaining a skilled workforce when the number of science graduates and technical apprentices is declining; future EU investments in infrastructure and new production facilities; the lack of harmonised chemicals legislation across EU countries; challenges of waste management, with wide variation of recycling and recovery rates across the EU.
It concludes: “A favourable climate for investment in Europe is crucial for the plastics industry to continue to make a meaningful contribution to European economy and society. One of the key challenges lies in creating the right conditions to make the most of our inherent capacity for innovation in Europe.”