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Paris – Between packaging consumed in abundance in emerging countries and more sophisticated plastics in vogue in developed countries, this industry is installed in a steady growth, despite the environmental challenges and the tightening of regulations.
In ten years, global plastics production has increased from 245 million tonnes to 348 million tonnes in 2017, according to figures from the European Federation PlasticsEurope.
Growth was 3.9% in 2017, more or less its cruising speed (4% in 2016, 3.5% in 2015).
If we take into account only the most common plastics, the " thermoplastics " (polyethylene terephthalate or PET, polypropylene, polyethylene or PVC), global demand has grown at the rate 4.7% per annum over the period 1990-2017.
" Will it continue in the years to come? We can badume that yes ," said Hervé Millet, director of technical and regulatory affairs of PlasticsEurope. " The reasons that explain the growth of plastics in the world, a priori do not go at once disappear ".
The leading producer of plastics, China today accounts for more than 29% of world production, compared to only 15% ten years earlier.
The consumption of plastics is " linked to the economic development of the countries ", whether in terms of infrastructure and construction, transport, or applications in the electrical and electronic sectors, explains Mr. Millet.
To this is added the first market which is the field of packaging, in high demand in developing countries and also representing nearly 40% of plastics consumption in Europe.
– Technical Polymers –
" There is a strong engine in developing countries that is related to consumption " with a demand for basic polymers for packaging and packaging, also observes Pierre Gadrat, director of chemistry and materials at Alcimed.
" At the other end of the chain, there is the development of technical polymers.It is still as dynamic, if not more than before ," he adds.
The production of new polymers has applications in the automotive and medical sectors. Some resins are used for automotive and aeronautics, but also for niche consumer products such as sports shoes.
But at the same time, the challenge of plastics is growing, mainly for reasons of pollution, and regulations are tightening.
In France, disposable plastic tableware should disappear in 2020, if it is not biodegradable. Non-compostable fine plastic bags have been banned since 2017. The American city of Seattle has banned plastic cutlery and straws in its restaurants and cafes.
At the end of May, the European Commission proposed to ban cotton swabs, cutlery, plates, straws, badtail mixers and plastic ball stems.
And similar measurements are multiplying in the world, against the backdrop of images of oceans suffocating under the plastic.
– recycling –
" Today, it does not weigh on a mbadive scale ", remarks Emmanuel Guichard, general delegate of the French federation of plastic packaging (Elipso). But " at one point, one can not imagine that there is no impact " of these measures.
" It is the plastic that is stigmatized as a whole ", alarmed Hervé Millet of PlasticsEurope.
For reasons of image, but also of well-understood economic interest, the sector is beginning to look very seriously at the question of recycling.
" Plastic waste potentially becomes, through regulatory pressure (…) less and less a waste, but a valuable raw material ", notes Pierre Gadrat, who sees in recycling, still weak, a " key stakes for tomorrow ".
For other commonly used materials, such as metals, glbad, cardboard and waste are fully integrated into the production chains.
For the scientific director of the Citeo collection organization, Carlos de Los Llanos, " what awaits the plastic: the situation of an industry that simultaneously manages its virgin resource and its recycled resource . " But " can be learned, it will probably still take a few years ".
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