IdentiPlast: Positive outlook for plastics recycling and recovery

Reflecting growing market demand for sustainable waste solutions, the sixth IdentiPlast conference – the plastics industry’s most important gathering on recycling and recovery of plastics – attracted a record number of participants from around the world. More than 260 delegates, including 25 Chinese representatives, attended the Brussels event, held from 23-24 April, representing the entire plastics value chain..

Opening the conference on a positive note, PlasticsEurope Executive Director, Wilfried Haensel, stressed that the current debate on climate change presented an opportunity for the plastics industry to demonstrate how its products contribute to the efficient use of resources: “The plastics industry has the opportunity to play a leading role in providing resource solutions. Historically, many people have thought of recycling and recovery as dealing with the ‘waste problem’. This view is outdated: we must see ourselves as part of the solution to improving resource efficiency.”

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“We should not be afraid to talk publicly about our role in relation to climate protection. Plastics have a positive impact on resources, dramatically extending the life-span of the raw materials used and through recycling,” Mr Haensel added, speaking for the first time since taking up his post in January 2007.

Highlights of the 2007 conference
The sessions at IdentiPlast focussed strongly on new opportunities for the plastics industry to help protect the environment and use resources more efficiently. Presentations delivered a range of information on the latest legal, technical and market developments, taking a European and a global perspective. A range of waste treatment schemes were discussed, from waste management operations, recycling and recovery to identification and sorting technologies.

Jan-Erik Johansson, Regional Director PlasticsEurope North, presented the latest analysis of plastics consumption and recovery in the EU-25+ Norway and Switzerland, demonstrating a continued decoupling of the growth of collected, used plastics and the volume of used plastics sent to final disposal. New statistics show that the recovery of end-of-life plastics continues to increase by about 10% a year in tonnage terms. In 2005, 47% of post-user end-of-life plastics were recovered in EU25 + Norway and Switzerland – up 4% points on the previous year.

This year’s best presentation award was given to Vijay Merchant of Indian plastics association Plastindia, for his demonstration of how plastics waste is re-used for road construction in that country.

The need for collaboration throughout and beyond the plastics value chain was also a key theme of discussions. Reflecting this, IdentiPlast was organised for the second time in a row in partnership with the European Commission, DG Environment, and was sponsored by PlasticsEurope (Association of Plastics Manufacturers), ACC (American Chemistry Council), PWMI (Plastics Waste Management Institute, Japan), EPIC (Environment and Plastics Industry Council, Canada) and EuPC (European Plastics Converters).

Photo: IdentiPlast 2007 - Q&As session

PlasticsEurope Deutschland e. V., Brüssel/Belgien

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