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US plastics machinery down again in Q4 2024


Sales of plastics machinery in North America saw another decline in the fourth quarter of last year. Estimates for the quarter


indicate sales of nearly US$289 million – a 17% fall compared to the same period in 2023. At the same time, the figure is around 12% lower than that from Q3 in 2024, says the Plastics Industry Association’s Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES). For comparison, single-


screw extruders saw a decrease of more than 25% compared to the previous quarter – and a 33% fall compared to Q4 2023. Twin-screw extruder sales fell by 48% compared to Q3 – and by nearly 8% in comparison with Q4 2023. In primary plastics machinery, injection moulding sales fell nearly 6% on the previous quarter, and by more than 16% over the full year.


“Plastics equipment shipments pared back their gains in Q3, underperform- ing forecasts,” said Perc Pineda, chief economist at the association. “Weakness


Primary plastics machinery shipments Source: PLASTICS Committee on Equipment Statistics


in US manufacturing persisted in Q4, driven by increased economic policy uncertainty amid expecta- tions of a shift in US trade policy after the November elections,” he added. Last year closed with US plastics equipment exports falling nearly 6% to US$329m in the fourth quarter. The latest CES quarterly survey shows no change of confidence in the market, with 83% of respondents expecting conditions to remain steady or improve over the next 12 months. In addition, 43% reported that quoting activity was holding steady, while 31% reported an increase in quoting activity compared with the previous quarter.


Mexico and Canada


remained the largest export markets for plastics machin- ery, with total exports to them reaching US$158m, accounting for 48% of the US total.


“Plastics demand in the


US remains stable, though slack in plastics production is leading to weaker-than- expected demand for primary plastics equipment,” he said.


He added that more cuts


in the Fed funds rate are still projected this year. “Lower interest rates and


greater clarity on US economic policy – particu- larly on trade – would help reduce uncertainties,” said Pineda. �www.plasticsindustry.org


RecyClass updates guidelines


Following 18 testing campaigns commissioned in 2024, RecyClass has strengthened its Recycla- bility Evaluation protocols and Design for Recycling guidelines to address the impact of various packag- ing features on recycling streams. Specifically, small-size packaging, rigid rolling behaviour, and the impact of various decora- tions were assessed with sorting a primary focus. Updates include


revisions within the laminating adhesive section and the inclusion of PVOH as limited compat- ible with the PE recycling stream for coloured flexible PE. Additionally, for rigid packaging, EVA is now recognised as fully compatible with HDPE recycling, and the recom- mendation on PO foamed liners has been extended to the PP stream. Paolo Glerean, Chair-


man of RecyClass, said it is crucial to implement standards that enhance the recyclability of plastic packaging. � https://recyclass.eu


Increase in German packaging recycling rates


Germany achieved a positive milestone in 2023 by recycling more packaging than the previous year. This was announced by the German


Environment Agency and the Central Agency Packaging Register in January, when it also revealed the German waste management sector collected,


www.injectionworld.com


sorted and recycled more than 5.5m tonnes of packaging waste in 2023. Statutory recycling quotas have


increased significantly since 2018, with dual systems meeting five out of the eight target rates. Some quotas have been exceeded, while for plastics there are two separate quotas: one for


mechanical recycling, and another that includes both recycling and energy


recovery. Figures show the share of plastic


packaging undergoing mechanical recycling increased from 42.1% to 68.9% between 2018 and 2023. �www.umweltbundesamt.de


March/April 2025 | INJECTION WORLD 5


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