AMI’S 2015 EUROPEAN PLASTICS INDUSTRY REPORT How is the European polymer industry performing? What does it mean for your business?
Find the answers in a report packed with key fi gures, tables, graphs and statistical analysis of capacities and demand for thermoplastics in Europe.
Covers commodity and engineering thermoplastics Covers the full EU 28 countries Analyses trends from 2009 to 2015 Gives forecast growth through 2019 Provides analysis by processing sectors
LL/LDPE Thousand tonnes 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 Capacity 0 2009 2010 © Applied Market Information Ltd. 2015 Figure 2.1: CAPACITY AND DEMAND FOR LL/LDPE IN EUROPE 2009-2015 Other 7% Medical/hygiene 5%
Agriculture 7% Building 2%
Reaching a level of maturity which means that growth is allied closely to GDP. The ability of these improved grades to allow films and moulded products to be significantly downgauged (use less material) further limits the growth potential. Consequently, there has been relatively little overall volume growth over recent years with the market struggling to regain the 800,000 tonnes of market lost over the period 2007-2010. However, the overall trends hide varying fortunes for the differing grades. Demand for LDPE has generally been declining, mainly because processors, particularly in film applications, are using greater volumes of linear material in blends with LDPE, which enable them to make thinner, stronger film products using less raw material and C4 (butene) grades of linear are cheaper than LDPE. Linear resins had been growing more strongly, up until 2007, averaging annual growth of 7%/year since the turn of the century, but latterly advancing at more modest rates of around 2%/year. The proportion of the market accounted for by linear materials in Europe now stands at 46% compared with 38% a decade earlier.
Film extrusion Consumer packaging 46% For
Industrial packaging 24%
Click here resin producers the market transitioned in 2008 from one characterised by high
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© Applied Market Information Ltd., 2015 Figure 16.3: END USE APPLICATIONS FOR THERMOPLASTIC FILMS IN EUROPE 2015
operating rates, record high prices and strong margins, to one of oversupply, fiercely competitive and with much lower margins. This transition came about partly because of the build up of new capacity in the Middle East targeting exports into Europe and because of the economic recession impacting heavily on demand. The downturn led to a number of plant closures during 2009, mainly for LDPE resins, although these were partly offset by the start of a new LDPE plant during 2009 in the UK. Subsequently, European producers have increasingly
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Consumer products 9%
focussed on developing higher
considerable growth in multilayer applications lids, labels, pouches, ready to eat, freezable and retortable packaging helping to underpin growth for cast PP films.
PVC film in food packaging is commonly used as a cling film overwrap, particularly within
the retail packing and catering industries. However, the trend towards centralised packing of meat, which would have previously been packed in-store and the adoption of MAP pack types, together with concerns regarding migration of plasticisers has brought about a continual decline in the use of PVC film.
The demand for plastics films within the food industry has been driven by changing Germany and Italy are by far the largest markets for LL/LDPE in Europe and together
consumer demands. The major supermarket chains, particularly in Northern Europe, and the multinational food groups, have been highly influential in determining trends in packaging. Better use of shelf space through improved packaging solutions, higher quality graphics and printing to differentiate products and attract shoppers attention, extended shelf life and less spoilage in the supply chain and the increasing requirement to demonstrate the sustainability of packaging are all issues which have led to the development of evermore sophisticated film products which not only replace more traditional flexible packaging solutions but are also increasingly targeting rigid applications. Changing lifestyles are also influencing the development and use of films as consumers look for more convenience and snack foods.
36 All these films can also be used in non-food consumer packaging applications and can Vital strategic market intelligence at the most competitive price.
range from relatively sophisticated films for use on high speed packaging lines for products such as tobacco overwrap to simple bags for packaging DIY, textiles or other consumer products.
Within the industrial packaging segment, polyethylene stretch film, used to protect goods APPLIED MARKET INFORMATION LTD. 190
during transit, accounts for the largest share of this sector of the market with production of nearly 1.4 million tonnes for 2015. Since its introduction in the early 1980s stretch film has enjoyed good growth rates, as it offers a cost effective solution for transit protection within the increasingly sophisticated retail supply chain for Europe. Demand continues to be driven
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account for more than one-third of total European demand. The German market has, in recent years, been somewhat stronger, thanks to the late development of the stretch film market there, growing demand from Central and Eastern Europe for more sophisticated packaging solutions which local processors cannot supply and the strength of the German
The most comprehensive analysis polymer production and total demand.
of alpha olefin (HAO) grades or convert
conventional LDPE lines to EVA materials which attract higher margins. Consequently, the market in Europe has been increasingly characterised by periods of supply tightness.
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Demand
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