Here To Stay - For 19 years, the plastics industry has been publishing its annual "Facts about Plastics" report which details trends in the production, demand and recovery of plastics for the European market. This year's report shows encouraging progress for the industry following the global financial crisis and highlights the most recent technological and design innovations in the field of plastics.

There are more than 1.6 million people working in the European plastics industry, spread over 50.000 companies (many SMEs) which generated a turnover of around €300 billion in 2009. Last year was one of the most challenging on record for the industry, but investments in innovation over recent years are paying off and recovery figures underline the industry's resilience.

Global plastics production for 2009 fell back from its 2008 peak of 245 million tonnes to some 230 million tonnes in 2009. However from a base of just 1.5 million tonnes in 1950, this represents an astounding average growth rate of around 9% per year over the past 60 years. Europe took a 24% share of this total (55 million tonnes) and although its 2009 year-on-year decline of some 7% was a first for the industry, new opportunities for growth were quickly identified and most parts of the industry have shown healthy signs of recovery during 2010. One important finding was that, despite high-growth rates, per capita consumption of plastics in Asia and Central Europe are significantly below the levels of mature industrial regions so there are definite opportunities for development in the years to come.

Trends in Recycling and Recovery

European numbers for recovering the value of plastics at end-of-life, through both recycling and energy recovery, have consistently improved year-on-year as more and more waste material is diverted from being lost to land-fill.

For 2009, the drop in demand, caused by the global economic crisis, had an anticipated impact on the quantity of waste generated in Europe. However, due to the fact that much of the demand loss was in longer-term applications rather than in FMCG (fast-mover consuming goods) packaging (from which most end-of-life material arises), the fall in waste was actually only 2%. Also, despite the economic challenges within the market, European recovery statistics for end-of-life waste management continued to improve.

Overall, some 24.4 million tonnes of post-consumer waste was recovered across Europe in 2009 pushing the percentage being diverted from being wasted in landfill to 53.6%, up 2.5% on the previous year. Of this total, the amount mechanically recycled also increased by 1% to 22% of the total (5.4 million tonnes). It is not only the increasing amount of bottle recycling and industrial film packaging which is driving this growth. Initiatives on mixed plastics recycling are being developed year-on-year; and programmes like the PVC industry's Recovinyl scheme is now handling longer life applications like pipes, window frames, roofing membranes and flooring. Recovinyl was responsible for recycling over 190,000 tonnes of end-of-life PVC during 2009.

Complementing the improved performance in the recovery of value through mechanical recycling, the amount of material recovered as useful energy also increased by 1% during 2009 to 32.2% of the total (7.9 million tonnes). However, as in previous years, these encouraging top-line statistics conceal significant differences in the performances of different European Member States when it comes to optimizing the recovery of their waste streams. Top performing countries like Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, all complement their recycling of end-of-life plastics with high levels of energy recovery for the fractions that can't be recycled eco-efficiently, to achieve overall recovery rates of 95%+. Conversely, the worst performers who still landfill 80% of their waste rely only on low levels of recycling and are doing no energy re-capturing at all within their waste management.

Technology And Design

Automotive, aerospace, publishing, healthcare, building, sports, electronics and packaging are just some of the industries that stand to benefit from the dynamic advancements in plastics science and technology according to the report.

Permanent innovation and the significant contributions of plastics to saving resources have enabled the plastics industry to adapt to the economic crisis and are working as catalysts for the new order to come. Changing demographics and the high cost of housing are driving the trend to harness plastics' capability to deliver highly flexible, more space efficient design solutions in the construction sector. Plastic insulation panels, which can be used on walls, roofs and flooring, are easy to install, and deliver greater energy efficiency. Just one kg of plastic insulation can save up to 755 kg of CO2 emissions over the lifetime of a property.

In healthcare, plastics are, today, primarily used in medical devices (e.g. syringes) and pharmaceutical and diagnostic packaging (e.g. bottles and ampoules), but brand new markets are opening up. A company based in Scotland has recently developed a wearable, disposable LED (a plastic-based product) plaster for treating skin cancer in conjunction with photodynamic drugs. In Europe, photodynamic therapy (PDT) - the use of special photosensitive cream and light to treat skin cancer lesions - is regularly the first line of treatment recommended for non-melanoma skin cancer.
Also, a polymer-based wristwatch, currently in development in Germany, is able to detect medical problems before they become an emergency. The watch combines several sensors and can monitor the wearer for signs of dehydration or fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Advances in polymer electronics and sensors mean that this type of ‘lab-on-a-chip' watch could enable high-risk patients to have a constant stream of biofeedback on their health in the future.

The aerospace industry is using more and more plastic composites, instead of metal, to create lighter and more fuel-efficient aircraft. Half of the components in Boeing's recently launched 787 Dreamliner are made of plastic composites. The company says, that thanks to the new materials, an improved aerodynamic design, and better engines and onboard systems, it will use 20% less fuel than comparable jetliners and have maintenance costs that are 10% lower.
Plastic electronics also have the potential to aid our progress towards low-carbon economies by enabling affordable sources of renewable energy and more power-efficient electronics.

Markets recently witnessed the wide-spread commercialization of the e-book reader which uses polymers extensively in its construction to allow the publishing industry to follow the music industry in going digital. Other important applications for the future of the sector will be smart textiles, organic solar cells, flexible displays and organic sensors.
In leisure and sport, a new football, the Ctrus, promises to bring refereeing this popular game into the 21st century. Currently in development, the Ctrus changes colour according to where it is situated on the pitch, helping to end challenging line decisions. This is made possible by an outer skin made of an innovative synthetic plastic which emulates traditional inflated pneumatic footballs but doesn't require air. This allows a GPS sensor to be placed inside, programmed to change colour once it crosses the goal line or goes out of play.
Gardening is also delivering its own innovations. The "DIG garden tool set" won first prize in the Student Plastics Design Awards 2009. One single sheet of plastic transforms itself into a trowel, a leaf grabber, an edger and a seeding pot - no need for packaging, easy to clean and store. DIG is flat-packed for storage, can be reused and eventually recycled.

Lighter and greener: key words in packaging trends. Innovative packaging can help reduce product weight (and transport and storage costs). Retailers are already using heat sealed plastic peelable lids in place of clip-on lids on their strawberry trays, saving tonnes of plastic per year. A leading UK supermarket uses plastic containers instead of trays to reduce the packaging weight of their blueberries by 75%.
Other innovations include zippered bags with solid bottoms which can be re-sealed (these replace the traditional jars for tea and coffee) and side-gusset pouches for a range of foods. These fold flat before filling, thus reducing freight and storage space and associated costs, and use 75% less plastic than rigid containers. They also offer longer shelf life without refrigeration.

Past, Present and Future

Much has been said about the future of the plastics industry, but most experts agree that the deciding factors will be: reduction of fossil fuels, optimization from design, improvement of technologies, evolution of materials (engineering plastics), safety and energy efficiency. These factors, when combined, lead to a general saving of resources by both producers and consumers which, for such a widely-used material, has a major impact on fighting climate change.

At the end of the day, this means the creation of products that meet the needs of the whole value chain perfectly, from the manufacturers to the final consumer. These needs are no longer limited to optimal value-for-money and convenience of use, but also include guarantees of sustainability and energy-efficiency from cradle to grave.