EuPC represents and promotes the interests of the European Plastics Packaging Industry and fosters sustainable business conditions for this sector.
After the Second World War, the plastics industry underwent incredibly fast development. There is probably no comparable sector of industry (apart perhaps from computing) which has grown so rapidly. The result is that plastics, and plastics packaging, are now an essential part of our everyday life. The key to their success has been versatility. In packaging, plastics are used for many varied applications ranging from sterile storage of medical and pharmaceutical goods, to extending the shelf life of foodstuffs such as bread, meat and vegetables, and protecting sensitive technical products from damage. This means that plastics make a significant contribution to improving the quality of our life. At the same time they preserve valuable resources and help to save costs, as a result of their lower weight. Over time, plastics have become ever more sophisticated, lighter and more versatile due to innovative technologies and they have replaced traditional packaging such as glass and paper in many areas.
About one third of all goods in Western Europe are now packaged in plastics, giving these materials the second-largest market share, after paper and cardboard. In volume terms, 55 % of this packaging is flexible while the remainder is rigid. In value terms, however, the position is reversed, and rigid packaging in 1997 was worth an estimated Euro 23 billion, which is expected to rise to Euro 29 billion by the year 2002. Flexible packaging on the other hand had a total value of Euro 8.3 billion in 1997, forecast to increase to Euro 9.4 billion by 2002. During 1997 a total of 11.6 million tonnes of plastics was used for the production of packaging in Western Europe. Plastics packaging is everywhere today. But how will the sector develop over the next five years? In spite of the size and economic importance of the industry, it is a fact that manufacturers of plastics packaging (predominantly medium-sized and small companies) are now open to a double dependency: on the one side the raw material suppliers dictate the prices of plastics, and on the other side there is massive downward pressure on prices by customers - particularly in the food industry.
Globalisation of Business Processes
The increasing level of the globalisation of business processes has led to structural changes for raw material suppliers and customers of the packaging, which have far-reaching effects on plastics packaging companies. As for all large companies, it is essential for large purchasers of packaging today to have a global presence. They expect that packaging manufacturers will be capable of providing local deliveries to them, wherever they may be located.
There is fruitful cooperation at European level with the European Plastics Converters Federation. This activity needs to be intensified and is particularly important in the fields of environmental protection and recycling. The European Commission together with the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive of December 1994 imposed far-reaching regulations, including those for the reduction of packaging material and a high level of recycling. In Germany the packaging industry has suffered a loss of competitiveness on a European level as a result of the expensive waste separation system of the Dual System. Regulations need to be standardised in all countries of the EU to prevent this imbalance.
The collective force of the plastics processing industry in the EuPC is therefore important and has to be expanded by more effort from the plastics industry.
EuPC Packaging Division Working Groups
- Regulation
- Standardisation and Food Contact
- Economic and Trade Communication
- Technical Committee Packaging for Dangerous Goods
Plastics in Packaging
The packaging sector is the largest consumer of plastics in Europe. Around half of all Western Europe`s goods are now packaged in plastics, and yet, thanks to constant innovation and achievement of resource efficiency- these plastics account for only 20 per cent by weight of all packaging materials.
Plastics Packaging Applications
- Plastic Bags and Plastic Sacks
- Plastic Blow Moulded Containers
- Plastic Food Packaging
- Plastic Packaging for Soaps
- Plastics for Detergents and Cosmetics
- Plastics for Pharmaceuticals
- Plastic Films
- Plastics for Transit Packaging
