How important £ is the UK plastics The industry turnover is industry? £27 billion 3rd largest employer in manufacturing sector
1st
Food and drink
2nd
Automotive
450,000
186,000
Plastic
500,000+
182,000
directly and indirectly employed*
PEOPLE EMPLOYED
in the plastics industry
*In manufacturing, commerce, transport, real estate, R&D and other industries.
Plastic is one of the UK’s top 10 exports
35%
£9.6 billion EXPORTS
More than a third
of plastics and plastic products are exported *Includes plastic products, machinery, raw materials
Plastic companies are spread across the UK
5%
Scotland
27%
4%
North England
Northern Ireland
6%
Wales
32%
Midlands and East
26%
South England
What is plastic used for?
Raw material suppliers
Manufacturers
Compounders
Consumers
Recyclers
The lifetime of products varies from less than a year to over 100 years (pipes, for example).
Plastic is used in almost every sector There are many types of plastic with distinct properties, making it an exceptional material for an extremely wide range of products. PACKAGING CONSTRUCTION AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRICAL/ ELECTRONIC AGRICULTURE HOUSEHOLD, LEISURE, SPORTS
PA66
PC
ABS SAN
PUR
PA6
PMMA "Other Plastics (especially other thermosets)"
POLYMER TYPES
Other Thermoplastics
EPS
PVC
PS
PE-LLD
PE-LD
PE-HD PE-MD
PET
PP
OTHERS
Source: PlasticsEurope Market Research Group (PEMRG) and Conversio Market and Strategy GmbH
Switching to alternatives could increase environmental costs...
Climate change
Damage to human health and ecosystems
£419bn
£270bn
£143bn £56bn
Environmental costs
£109bn
£50bn PLASTIC VS. ALTERNATIVES
Plastic Estimated impact
How important is plastic for the future? Plastics patents
Innovations In the UK more patents are filed each year for plastics than glass, metal and paper combined.
Top 5 IN EUROPE
63,000+ (This is more patents than pharmaceutical or biotech)
Innovations will revolutionise our technology... Infinitely recyclable polymers A lightweight durable polymer that can be converted to its original small-molecule state for complete chemical recyclability. Light-responsive polymers Polymers able to transform from rigid to soft in response to light, could be used to self-heal cars or satellites.
Shape-memory polymers Polymers that can change shape, with applications including bone-to-bone fixations, heat-shrinkable tubes for electronics, self-disassembling mobile phones and sun sails in spacecraft. Self-healing polymers A self-healing polymer spontaneously and independently repairs itself without any outside intervention at all.
Academics support the environmental benefits of plastic
“Plastics are a vital part of the drive to ‘lightweight’ products to save energy across all industry sectors. It makes sense to exploit their range of physical properties and processability, combined with lightweighting capabilities, enabling many valuable products.” Professor Phil Coates, FREng Director of the Polymer Interdisciplinary Research Centre University of Bradford
Sources available at: www.bpf.co.uk/sources
How can the UK prevent plastic waste?
99%
Recycling levels have been improving for more than twenty years… kT 1,461
-66%
LANDFILL
1,014 750 497
RECYCLING
481 138
Of local authorities collect plastic bottles at the kerbside
110%
Collection of pots, tubs and trays increased FROM
9,000
ENERGY RECOVERY
2006
2016
tonnes
443%
TO
175,000 tonnes
To continue to improve, we need to develop recycling infrastructure in the UK
25,000 new jobs
Extra recycling capacity is needed in the UK to sort and process plastic waste
could be created by 2030 if the UK’s plastic recycling capacity is significantly extended
We must reduce the UK’s reliance on exporting waste and make it easier to recycle in the UK Consistent collection
Public education
Eco-design
Sector-specific recycling
Wales has consistent collection. It is 3rd in the world for plastics recycling.
Preventing litter and encouraging recycling. For where you can recycle your plastics locally visit: Bpf.co.uk/wherecan irecyclemyplastic
The industry has released guidance to ensure packaging is designed sustainably
Ensuring plastic waste from all sectors is collected for recycling. See the medical PVC recycling scheme for example at bpf.co.uk/recomed
Produced by the British Plastics Federation | bpf.co.uk