Plastic production is falling in Europe, announced Monday Plastics Europe, an organization which brings together around a hundred companies which produce more than 90% of plastics on the continent. At the same time, more plastic is imported from less environmentally responsible countries.
In the 27 countries of the European Union, to which we add Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Norway, production fell by around 8%, both for new plastic and for recycled plastic.
These figures contradict global plastic production, which increased by 3.4% last year. As a result, Europe’s share has fallen to only 12% of the global market.
Cheaper imported plastic
For its needs, Europe is importing more and more plastic, which comes from regions where it is cheaper and, above all, where environmental standards are less strict, such as in Asia, or from countries where energy is much cheaper, like in the United States.
However, Europe is more advanced in ecological matters: it is the region in the world where the share of recycled plastics is highest. The sector represents more than 50,000 companies and achieved some 340 billion francs in turnover last year.
Transition to circularity under threat
If European competitiveness continues to erode, Plastics Europe believes that this industry’s transition to circularity is under threat. A circularity which will be at the center of discussions from next Monday, with the opening of UN negotiations in South Korea to conclude an international treaty on the elimination of plastic pollution.
>> Read also: “What is worrying about plastic pollution is its irreversibility”
Radio subject: Jean-Philippe Rutz
Adaptation web: Vincent
Business
