US bottle recycling rate reaches 31% in 2013 / Rising demand for rPET / Contamination concerns / NAPCOR/APR study

Growth in plastics industry expected to be 1.5% in 2014 / Recovery in final quarter / Slowdown in capital investment

13th Five Year Plan to reduce petrochemical overcapacities / Seven new hubs to be completed by 2020 / Coal-based production to rise dramatically

Spanish household recycling rate reaches nearly 57% / EU's runner-up in 2013

Plastics processing sector expected to recover slightly in 2014 / Construction segment remains weak while automotive is largely stable / 2013 decline smaller than expected / State support for innovative and export-oriented companies

Plastics industry continues its decline in 2013 / Drop in volume of material processed / Companies report stable operations / Construction and packaging sectors hope for economic improvement

Growth in output boosted by plastic and rubber sector / Highest production in 40 years

Plastics processing industry strengthens in 2013 / Upward trend continues in 2014 / Innovation needed to tackle overcapacity

"Plastivision Arabia" fair held in Sharjah / Weighing in on a dedicated plastic park strategy / Focus on downstream industries / First "Print Pack Arabia" well received

Current five-year plan sees new production plants brought on stream / Dependence on imports declines / International producers see sales fall short of expectations / Will the next PE flood come in before the shale gas volumes?

Proposals for preserving the plastics industry / Suggesting creation of large-scale national cluster / Fragmented industry should agglomerate / New study by European House – Ambrosetti

Flexible packaging accounted for 79% of LLDPE demand in 2013 / Maxiquim study

Latest BPF poll finds sector optimistic about 2014 / 73% of respondents expect UK sales levels to rise / Half anticipate increase in profitability / Energy supply and recruitment of skilled staff remain problematic

Plastics industry continues to see solid growth rates / Europe's second largest plastics processing country / More than 8m t of polymers converted in 2013 / Activities centre around Istanbul / Strongly dependent on feedstock imports

Engineering thermoplastics consumption recovers slightly in 2013 / Gains driven by ABS and PMMA / Import volumes of PC, PA and SAN down / Asian producers increasingly step into the fold / Low local capacity utilisation rates / Plastinfo report