ASSOCIATIONS
Turkey's Pagev and PlasticsEurope sign declaration of collaboration / Emphasise need to address common problems
In the wake of last year’s “Istanbul Plastic Summit”, held on 3 December 2015, representatives of Turkish plastics industry foundation Pagev (Istanbul; www.pagev.org.tr) and producers’ association PlasticsEurope (Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticseurope.org) signed a declaration aimed at increasing collaborations among their respective member companies, and synchronising approaches to common problems.
The declaration, which was signed by Pagev president Yavuz Eroglu and PlasticsEurope executive director Karl Foerster, sets out the main challenges faced by both the Turkish and the European plastics industries, including unemployment levels, high energy and feedstock costs, an inadequately trained workforce, the need for future investment, the lack of a harmonised and complementary legislation and the need to better enforce the policy of “Zero Plastics to Landfill”. Commenting on the declaration, Eroglu said, “We may not be an EU member, but all laws and regulations in place in the European Union affect us because of the exports to the EU and the on-going harmonisation process with Turkey.”
The two associations agreed that energy and feedstock costs need to be lowered, and that new energy resources should be targeted in order to ensure a more competitive cost base. Although the groups did not elaborate further, in an exclusive interview with Plasteurope.com in December 2014, PlasticsEurope president Patrick Thomas said the association is not averse to fracking (see Plasteurope.com of 09.12.2014).
The summit, which took place on the same day as the launch of the 25th edition of “Plast Eurasia” (www.plasteurasia.com), held from 3-6 December 2015 in Istanbul / Turkey, also introduced a number of investment opportunities in Turkey. Illustrating the fact that the country remains very attractive in the plastics world is the record number of visitors to the fair – a total of 47,306 people attended the event (for more details, see Plasteurope.com of 08.01.2016).
Pagev figures show that Turkey’s plastics industry is the second largest in Europe in output terms, and now ranks seventh in the world. About 14,000 companies are active in the field in the country, employing a total of 250,000 workers. The industry’s annual turnover is pegged at about USD 34 bn, with exports – to some 175 countries – making up about USD 12 bn.
The declaration, which was signed by Pagev president Yavuz Eroglu and PlasticsEurope executive director Karl Foerster, sets out the main challenges faced by both the Turkish and the European plastics industries, including unemployment levels, high energy and feedstock costs, an inadequately trained workforce, the need for future investment, the lack of a harmonised and complementary legislation and the need to better enforce the policy of “Zero Plastics to Landfill”. Commenting on the declaration, Eroglu said, “We may not be an EU member, but all laws and regulations in place in the European Union affect us because of the exports to the EU and the on-going harmonisation process with Turkey.”
The two associations agreed that energy and feedstock costs need to be lowered, and that new energy resources should be targeted in order to ensure a more competitive cost base. Although the groups did not elaborate further, in an exclusive interview with Plasteurope.com in December 2014, PlasticsEurope president Patrick Thomas said the association is not averse to fracking (see Plasteurope.com of 09.12.2014).
The summit, which took place on the same day as the launch of the 25th edition of “Plast Eurasia” (www.plasteurasia.com), held from 3-6 December 2015 in Istanbul / Turkey, also introduced a number of investment opportunities in Turkey. Illustrating the fact that the country remains very attractive in the plastics world is the record number of visitors to the fair – a total of 47,306 people attended the event (for more details, see Plasteurope.com of 08.01.2016).
Pagev figures show that Turkey’s plastics industry is the second largest in Europe in output terms, and now ranks seventh in the world. About 14,000 companies are active in the field in the country, employing a total of 250,000 workers. The industry’s annual turnover is pegged at about USD 34 bn, with exports – to some 175 countries – making up about USD 12 bn.
19.01.2016 Plasteurope.com [233089-0]
Published on 19.01.2016