European Industrial Renaissance
Europe is at a disadvantage vis-à-vis other regions with regard to access to resources, according to Karl Falkenberg, Director General for Environment at the European Commission. At PolyTalk 2014, a two day conference organized by PlasticsEurope in Brussels on 4-5 November of last year, Falkenberg argued that: "we have to make our weakness our strength. The only way to maintain a competitive industry in Europe is if we can produce goods and services in a more energy and resource efficient manner and think in terms of the circular economy."
Under the heading "European Industrial Renaissance...Let's make it happen", the multi-stakeholder forum gathered more than 300 high-level representatives from the worlds of industry, politics, science, academia and media.
While there was general agreement on the objectives of the circular economy and a vision of a low carbon economy in the future, a number of speakers were concerned that they should not distract attention from the need for urgent measures to ensure the survival of European industry in the short-term. A recurring theme was that Europe cannot achieve its climate and environment goals without the effective support of a competitive manufacturing sector.
According to Ineos CEO Jim Ratcliffe, "We need to have a measured approach. We cannot sacrifice our industries while pursuing other goals. Europe has to develop competitive energy sources because the ramifications not doing so are huge. There are literally millions of jobs at stake."
Related topics under discussion at PolyTalk 2014 included: the prospects for shale gas exploitation in Europe; challenges and opportunities for plastics recycling; the potential benefits of regulatory convergence in a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and; helping universities equip graduates with the skills needed by business.
Many of the issues raised throughout the two days were captured in a "Manifesto for the Competitiveness of the European Plastics Industry" launched at the start of the conference as a joint initiative of PlasticsEurope and the European Plastics Convertors (EuPC).
