Record-breaking plastics conference attended by sustainability professionals from across the world
Date
13 Mar 2019
Sections
Climate & Environment
The 14th edition of IdentiPlast, Europe’s leading conference focused on the recycling and recovery of used plastics, was the largest ever. It featured talks from over 50 world-leading speakers in plastics recycling and waste management and had over 340 attendees.
Bruce Margetts, President of the British Plastics Federation (BPF), and Javier Constante, President of PlasticsEurope, opened this year’s edition. The opening speeches set the tone for the conference, highlighting that the industry has a huge role to play in tackling the issue of plastic waste and that the value of the material, once used, needs to be more widely understood.
The first day looked at sustainability issues and solutions from the perspectives of different countries, featuring speakers ranging from Europe, Ghana, Columbia, Japan and North America. A video message was broadcast from Therese Coffey MP, UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment, who stated that she welcomed industry-led efforts to reduce plastic waste. Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director-General of the European Commission’s Environment Directorate, stated how he recognised plastic as a crucial material for the EU economy, that it should not be demonised and the shift to a circular economy presented huge opportunities.
The second day of the conference was focused on the technical aspects of improving the management of plastic waste, ranging from increasing collection, improving sorting technologies and adapting recycling processes to a large variety of waste.
Director General of the BPF Philip Law stated:
“We are delighted to have helped bring together many of the best minds in recycling and waste management to discuss ways to accelerate our journey towards a truly circular economy. I hope everyone involved enjoyed the interesting agenda and fascinating discussions as much as I did.”
Executive Director of PlasticsEurope Karl-H. Foerster added:
“It was exciting to hear about the innovative solutions that have been presented to transition to a more circular economy. It is thanks to these exchanges that we can continue building necessary joint efforts to achieve the recycling targets of our Voluntary Commitment.”
IdentiPlast 2019 took place 7 and 8 March at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London. It was run by PlasticsEurope and supported by the BPF.
About the organisers
British Plastics Federation
Established in 1933 the British Plastics Federation is the most powerful voice in the UK plastic industry with over 500 members across the plastics industry supply chain, including polymer producers and suppliers, additive manufacturers, recyclers, services providers, end users, plastics processors and machinery manufacturers, representing over 80% of the industry by turnover.
The BPF promotes the interests of its Members principally through its four Market Sector Groups and its many common interest Business Groups. The BPF Central Expert Committees address industry wide concerns including Environment, Fire, Product Safety and Industrial Health & Safety. Visit http://www.bpf.co.uk
PlasticsEurope is one of the leading European trade associations with centres in Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan and Paris. The association is networking with European and national plastics associations and has more than 100 member companies, producing over 90% of all polymers across the EU28 member states plus Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. Visit www.plasticseurope.org