The European plastics industry is a £200 billion business with the strongest commitment to the highest standards in the health, safety, quality and performance of its products. Around 25 per cent of global demand for plastic products is produced by European manufacturers who employ 1.6 million people. All of these businesses commit with enthusiasm to the legislation and regulation designed to protect our environment – with product and process innovation is at the heart of this.

Interesting facts:
• One tonne of polystyrene insulation save 1.3tonne of oil/year optimal insulation of all Buildings in the EU would save 460Mtonne CO₂/year
• Plastic used in cars is up from 3 % to 11% the past 15 years…whilst fuel consumption has dropped by 14%. These 11% save some 750litres of fuel over the lifetime of the car.
• State of the art wind-mills has ~70m long plastic rotors, solar and photo-voltaic panels use plastics extensively   

Airbus A380 (left) uses 22% plastic, saving 15% fuel.

Plastics provide a very necessary and important role in society, not only through energy savings in construction, but making leisure more enjoyable and affordable, enabling communications and supporting a revolution in health care needs.
Plastic is essential for thousands of applications from life-saving medical devices like blood bags, heart valves and hip joints to the packaging which protects manufactured goods from damage and preserves our food - saving on waste and helping keep retail prices down. Plastic is also essential in every aspect of modern living, providing us with the means to communicate in products ranging from mobile phones to lightweight laptops.

Imagine one day in life without plastic:

• Without computer components, television’s, radio’s and MP3 players.
• Without electrical and communications cabling
• Without water pipes, drainage systems & damp-proof membranes
• Without plastic engineering components which ensure our cars, lorries and aircraft are safer and lighter, saving fuel and reducing exhaust emissions.
• Without renewable energy, such as solar heating panels and wind turbines.

PVC-U windows can be energy rated, under the British Fenestration Rating Council's Window Energy Rating Scheme (WER), with PVC-U windows achieving over 85% of the "A" ratings in the scheme. The WER Scheme works on the same principle as the schemes which consumers are more familar with, such as energy rating badges on cars or white goods. The PVC-U window industry is one of the most innovative within the fenestration industry, with projects such as Vinyl 2010 and Recovinyl ensuring that manufacturing and recycling continue to see improvements.

 The truth is that plastics in all their forms play an indisputable role across the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development. In fact, all of the world’s plastics are made using the equivalent of only 4 per cent of all oil and gas extraction as a feedstock. And to complement existing technologies we have already developed the ability to create bio-based plastics and degradable additives.

In the short time that we have had plastic, there are countless milestones of innovation. Even in our motorcars, the increasing use of tough, durable plastic components is a major contributor to weight reduction, resulting in an average 500litres less fuel being consumed over the life of a typical modern car.  

Health care

Plastic Blood may sound impossible, but researchers at the University of Sheffield have created a ‘plastic blood’, which is able to mimic hemoglobin and carry oxygen around the body. Not only could this be a revolutionary step-forward for the medical world, but due to its very nature, the plastic blood is able to be carried and stored a lot easier than “natural blood”.

The medical device market is one of today’s most dynamic business sectors. Not using plastics in this area is now unimaginable, especially with regard to the issue of sterility. Easy processing, break resistance, low weight and the possibility of modification for very particular specifications offers definite advantages over conventional materials such as metal, glass and ceramics. Probably the biggest contribution of plastics is the containment of infection risks, with the big revolution being the development of single use products, such as the humble PVC Blood Bag. Modified atmosphere packs and PVC blood bags to microelectronic components, we have used innovation as our foundation for the future. We have developed dose-dispensing packs for pharmaceuticals and medicines, created safety closures including tamper-proof and tamper-evident packs. The plastics industry plays a vital role in the development of innovative and safe products for the medical industry, through products such as:  Artifical Skin, Blister Packs and Dosage Packs for the pharmaceutical industry and Heart and Lung bypass sets, to name but a few.

Packaging

A typical supermarket delivery vehicle carrying products will have 3 per cent of its weight in plastic packaging. By contrast, similar products packed in glass would bring the packaging weight up to 36 per cent of the loaded vehicle with massive impacts on fuel consumption, road movements and exhaust emissions.

The Guinness widget symbolizes all that is good about the UK plastics industry – unseen and unnoticed but an omnipresent and vital material part of almost every high-profile manufacturing success story. Such vital and dependable precision, achieved through the development of revolutionary and fully automated technology, is the name of the game.

Innovation in plastics brings us packaging which is lightweight, low volume and low-impact, creating products which protect and preserve so that food is easy to cook, ready to eat and available in portions which suit our needs and individual tastes. Furthermore, in spite of a greater reliance on plastic, the packaging we use for our food actually saves resources and prevents wastage. The simple shrink wrapping around a cucumber may have become an icon of packaging waste but its ability to prevent moisture loss serves to maintain freshness and extend its life on the shelf from three to ten days, bringing consequent major reductions in wastage and the transport impacts needed to replace rotting produce.

Look no further than the BPF's Packaging Group for factual information on plastic packaging and innovation.

Centres of Polymer Excellence

There are numerous centre of polymer innovation within the UK, with the Polymer IRC leading the way. The Polymer IRC brings together scientists from the Universities of Bradford, Durham, Leeds and the Sheffield Polymer Centre to form one of the largest groupings of Polymer Specialists in Europe. are no doubt driving forces within academia and industry alike. Indeed the VinylSUM project is a good example of where academia and industry can work together to push forward innovation, with tangible results.

The BPF is here to help:

Over the last year the BPF has continued to work hard to develop its project portfolio to benefit the industry by helping it create a competitive advantage, whilst becoming more sustainable. Projects recently include Lightfoam, Rotoflex and EU PlastVoltage. The BPF will continue to develop its project portfolio to match the needs of the UK industry and encourage innovation in the plastics sector.

The BPF is involved in several projects funded by the European Commission under the 6th and 7th Framework programme as well as two DTI funded studies. They are also a key partner in the Polymer Innovation Network which is a DTI funded project through its Technology Programme.

The BPF has also seen the conclusion to two very fruitful projects, Polycond and Freeflow. Both of these EU funded projects have been very successful in demonstrating the value of coordinated research in conjunction with industrial partners.

Innovation is a key driver within the plastics industry, across all product sectors and across all applications. Manufacturers are continually striving to not only improve their products & services, but also improve their manufacturing efficiency. Along the way, the BPF is a key partner, hosting a series of seminars with key-note speakers from their sector. Whether it be Manufacturing Efficiency or Bio-Based and Degradeable Polymers, the BPF is here to help. Also through our Business Support Network, we are able to offer our members improved rates from a number of high-profile companies.

Through our website, we are also able to bring key innovations to both our members and to the public at large. We have seen “plastipedia” and “plastbook” as recent additions to our website – “plastipedia” offers a unique understanding of the plastics family and of the main manufacturing processes. “Plastbook” is a unique tool, where members are able to sign-up (free of charge), share experiences and answer posted questions, generating genuine business leads for your company.

Plastics trade shows and trade missions are also key in driving innovation as they offer UK firms a unique opportunity to share knowledge with firms from overseas.For more information on any of our projects, events and trade shows or membership, please contact the BPF on 0207 457 5000.