Sticking to targets for the use of recyclates even in times of crisis: The IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V. has surveyed the current demand for recycled plastics.
11 August 2020
Recyclate from plastic packaging (Image: Starlinger)
The IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V. conducted a quick survey of its member companies on the current use of recyclates and the demand for recycled plastics.
Recyclers are currently struggling with a coronavirus-related decline in production. The sharp fall in plastic prices during the crisis is also having an impact. However, according to the industry association, the results of the survey are encouraging: even during the coronavirus crisis, the majority of plastic packaging manufacturers and their customers are sticking to their Sustainability goals fixed.
Recyclate use queried
Almost two thirds of the plastic packaging manufacturers surveyed stated that the Consumption of recyclates almost unchanged is. For the remaining companies, the decline in demand is generally between 10 and 50 per cent. Of these companies, over 70 per cent state that they themselves have been affected by declining sales. Only 28 per cent of companies using less recyclate said that the cheaper price of virgin material was the decisive factor.
Dr Isabell Schmidt (Image: IK)
„Our industry has also been affected by the current crisis, with producers of industrial packaging being hit particularly hard by the coronavirus-related decline in sales. We are therefore all the more pleased that most customers, especially in the consumer goods sector, are also times of crisis on their targets for the use of recyclates hold on to. This shows that the circular economy is firmly anchored in the strategy of these companies.“ Dr Isabell Schmidt, IK Managing Director Circular Economy
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Sustainability strategies put to the test
The Current weakness of the recycling market Nevertheless, the association is concerned about the current situation. Further investment in the circular economy is urgently needed in the coming years. „It is therefore important that the demand for products containing recyclates is strengthened, particularly through public procurement and price incentives for the use of recyclates,“ demands Schmidt. However, this does not only apply to the packaging market, which is an important consumer of post-consumer recyclates in Germany with around 160 tonnes (corresponding to around 20% of the sales market). Other large sales markets, such as the construction and agricultural sectors in particular, are also responsible for a stable demand for recyclates.
Together, the plastic packaging manufacturers organised in the IK have set themselves the goal of achieving this, One million tonnes of recyclates by 2025 (post-consumer and post-industrial) in plastic products. This means that the quantity of PC recyclates must be almost quadrupled: over 500 tonnes of PCR in defined qualities will be in additional demand. The industry is sticking to this goal even in a difficult environment.
Source: IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V. (Industrial Association for Plastic Packaging)
