Industry General

World's leading plastics fair opens its doors / Focus on feedstock supply, “Industry 4.0”, additive manufacturing and marine litter / Packaging increasingly important to machinery manufacturers

Plastics processing production reaches 8.6m t in 2015 / Need to increase added value identified / PAGEV sets up EUR 20.6m centre of excellence near Istanbul

European Commission imposes EUR 6m fine on collection and recycling systems operator ARA for anti-competitive and monopolistic behaviour

Use in England plummets following levy / Millions raised for charities

“Plastics Recycling Show” goes to Amsterdam in March 2017 / New venue for inaugural European event cancelled twice due to terror attacks

More than 50% of respondents to PIE poll say “Brexit” will not impact their business / More than a third fear negative repercussions / “Not the decision our sector wanted,” says UK chemicals association / Linpac does not expect any change

"Brexit is stupid" / 52% of British population votes to leave the EU / Plastics industry reacts calmly / Important market in Europe / Many corporate headquarters likely to relocate to the continent

Mock Recoup poll finds 65% of UK recycling industry players prefer to remain in the EU / Upcoming referendum will directly affect UK industry

PIE talks to World Plastics Council chairman Abdulrahman al-Fageeh and PlasticsEurope executive director Karl H. Foerster / WPC as platform for sharing best practices / Localising global solutions / Focus on marine debris / Increasingly global scope

European converters remain a competitive force / Sector increasingly threatened by insecure raw material supply, high costs and foreign players / Innovation and client proximity strongpoints for continental companies / New study by EuPC and Wieselhuber

First materials tested in Aitiip's mulching technology development in Spain / Biodegradable film also improves soil and crop properties

Awards for best polymer supplier presented at EuPC annual meeting in Lyon / Repsol takes prizes for innovation and HDPE / “Unique insight” into supply chain dynamics

Leading global industry players and cities join to form The New Plastics Economy initiative / Ellen MacArthur report serves as blueprint / Three-year project aimed at achieving a system-wide transformation

Project to develop bioplastic packaging that helps extend shelf life / Sensors display when food not fit to eat / Four prototypes

New exhibition for the PU market / "PSE Europe" 2017 to spotlight innovation

PlasticsEurope president Patrick Thomas: Plastics industry needs to be at the forefront of combating problems like marine litter / Lessons from "PolyTalk" to be applied at global level / Europe is the source of the solution

Record number of exhibitors' books for packaging trade fair in 2017 / Spotlight on Industry 4.0 with VDMA / “Save Food” continues as key theme with new category in WorldStar awards

Shanghai-based plastics fair opens its doors / More than 3,300 exhibitors at 30th edition / More than 40 new technology products launches / PIE booth in German Pavilion

Largest Scandinavian plastics fair attracts almost 2,800 visitors / Positive mood in Malmö

Ton Emans, president of Plastics Recyclers Europe: Reduction in waste exports to China benefits European recyclers / Recycling is the solution to efficient waste management and marine litter

BPF poll shows gap between training options and employers' needs / Salary and negative perception of plastics identified as deterrents to potential apprentices / Close to 50% of respondents concerned by skills gap

Second German composites exhibition to debut this year / “Experience Composites” under patronage of leading global "JEC" fair organiser

EPCA and PlasticsEurope launch new youth debating competition in Europe / Focus on “50 years of chemical industry. What's next?”

“Placard” project on cashew nut shell-based PVC plasticiser continues to progress / Last phase of EU-funded research underway

“Plastics Recycling Show” cancelled following Brussels attacks / Second time terror forces event to be abandoned / Belgian capital on lockdown