K 2013: Global plastics consumption to grow 4% p.a. until 2016

According to current estimates by PlasticsEurope Market Research Group (PEMRG) for 2011, the plastics consumption in Europe, which accounts for 21%, is almost on a par with that of NAFTA states with an estimated consumption of 20%. Asia represents an impressive 44% of the global plastics consumption; China alone consumed 23%. Latin America’s share is estimated at 5% for 2011, the CIS countries account for 3%, while the Middle East/Africa hold a share of 7%.

The global plastics consumption is predicted to rise by 4% per year until 2016. According to Plastics Europe’s medium-term market predictions there will be a shift in the markets towards the Asian-Pacific region which is expected to result in substantial annual growth in this region’s gross domestic product. Estimates expect an annual rise of 5.5% for the period between 2011 and 2016, which exceeds the global average by between two and three percentage points. It is highly likely that production capacities will follow the shifting markets.

PlasticsEurope estimates the European consumption of polymer materials in 2011 to reach about 47 million tons, up 1.1% on the previous year. In 2011, the “Big Six” were comprised of polyethylene PE-LD, PE-LLD and PE-HD with 29%, polypropylene (PP) with 19%, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with 11%, polystyrene (PS and PS-E) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with 6.5% and polyurethane (PU) with 7%. These polymers account for 80% of the overall consumption.

An analysis by PlasticsEurope shows that in 2011, the packaging segment holds the lion’s share of 39.4% of all industries consuming plastics products, followed by the construction industry with 20.5%. The automotive industry consumed 8.3%, while the electronic industry accounted for 5.4%. All remaining segments such as the furniture, medical, household appliances, sports and leisure as well as agricultural segments consumed a total of 26.4%.

Updated figures show that in 2011, Europe had an average recycling quota of 59.6%, up 5.7% on the previous year. A closer look shows that the recycling quota for plastics packaging alone amounted to 67%. The recycling quotas continue to differ from one country to the next. While the nine most successful countries, namely Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Luxemburg recycle more than 90% of their plastic waste, seven other countries only achieve a quota of less than 30% and have some catching up to do.

(Excerpts from the Statement by Ulrich Reifenh?user, Chairman of the Exhibitors’ Council K 2013, provided on occasion of the presentation on 10 October, 2013 in Düsseldorf)