European Commission

Plastics trade groups present joint proposals / Shaping EU sustainability package

Levels increase sevenfold since 2000 / Packaging recycling rates reach 42.5% across domestic, commercial and industrial sectors / Limits to recyclability / Cicloplast survey

Vice chairman's death called suicide / Close ties to family owners / Corruption scandal in South Korea

Romanian chemical producer to be privatised in nine chunks / A.T. Kearney advising

EU greenlights takeover of Ineos EPS business / No significant overlap

Sweden bans BPA epoxy lining in drinking water pipes

European Commission initiates “Phase II” review of proposed merger of equals / Companies confident that deal will conclude this year

EU Commission suspects South Korean companies of price dumping

“Sport Infinity” project promises zero waste and recyclability / Football shoes a focus

European Commission gives conditional approval for purchase of Faurecia's Exterior Systems unit / Deal contingent on divestiture of seven European plants

Purchase of Italian thermoformer Rosa Plast Due / Acquisition said to triple group presence in Italy's rigid packaging market

Canada adds plastic microbeads of 5mm or less to toxic substance schedule / Possible prelude to a ban / Coordination with US legislation / Plastics industry critical

PRE issues new strategy paper at 20th anniversary meeting / Current market structure “highly unsustainable” / Calls for more holistic approach to recycling / Need for standardisation

EU Commission finally presents proposals for regulating endocrine disruptors / Trade associations critical / Forward strategy based on WHO criteria

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 Parliament seeks more ambitious targets for waste sorting and recycling / Bioplastics producers pleased with proposals

German environmental group calls for BPA replacement in cashier receipts / ECHA study ongoing

European Composites, Plastics and Polymer Processing Platform ECP4 says EU funding is key to sector's success / Members invited to join “New Plastics Economy Initiative”

TEPPFA commits to doubling recycling in Europe by 2020 / Campaign at EU level for special status under REACH and WFD to relax treatment of “legacy substances”

European plastics converters alliance calls on EU to suspend tariffs on polymer imports / Processors increasingly anxious in the face of tighter PP and PE availability

European “Dibbiopack” research project yields new functionalities in bioplastics packaging / Focus on pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food

Proposed takeover of Faurecia's Exterior Systems unit enters round two / EUR 665m deal expected to close in H2

European Parliament draws attention to dangers of plastic microbeads in cosmetics / Bans being pursued worldwide / Report for Commission analyses the problem

Two-day high-level conference on “Zero Plastics Waste to the Oceans” draws industry, government and private sector together / Need for collaborative efforts across the chain / Design for end of life / Calls for system change

Industry on solid course for growth / Both exports and imports of plastics on the rise / Plastics processing activities continue to increase / Automotive segment a key driver / Political impasse in Madrid slows economic dynamics