In a survey of energy consumption by Europe´s plastics converters carried out by the recently formed organisation Recipe (Reduced Energy Consumption in Plastics Engineering, Shrewsbury, Shropshire / UK; www.eurecipe.com) 60% of companies responding said they fear for the future of the European plastics processing industry unless significant short-term action is taken on energy issues and costs – see PIE 10, 2005 (online only).

Over half of the 165 European plastics converters surveyed operate plants on a 24-hour, five-day week basis, with an average machine utilisation rate of 75%. The principal respondents were from Germany, the UK and Spain, and are responsible for running a total of eight plastics processes. Full details of the findings are available on registration at the Recipe web site.

Project coordinator Suzanne Wilkinson said the energy consumption survey “has given us a very good first map of the sector but has also raised the seriousness of the issue.” She said Recipe now has enough information to set sectoral benchmarks for specific energy consumption across Europe. But while the plastics processing industry´s general attitude toward improving the energy issue is positive – more than 50% of survey respondents, for example, urged adherence to the Kyoto protocol – Wilkinson said “it is also clear that the sector wants more done.”

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