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GLOBAL MARKET OUTLOOK FOR PLASTIC FILMS
SPE SOCIETY OF PLASTICS ENGINEERS EUROPE
CONFERENCE ON ADVANCES IN EXTRUSION TECHNOLOGY
OCTOBER 29, 2007, K’2007, DÜSSELDORF
Françoise Pardos, Pardos Marketing
Conclusions
The major trend is the final replacement of traditional materials, up to aluminum, steel (in closures and in cans), and glass, by the irresistible push of plastics. More and more, plastics are becoming the one and only packaging material
Films, in packaging and other applications, will continue to be a fast growing part of all plastics. The main advantages of films, particularly in packaging, are:
- A terrific performance/volume ratio
- Lower cost than rigid packaging, lighter weight to ship
- Easier shipping both as films, in reels, and as packaged goods
- Easier disposal
- Overall much lower cost than any other packaging
- Films develop fastest in emerging industrial countries that leapfrog older solutions
- Very alive and continuous developments and innovations
All in all, the ever rising price of oil, the upstream precursor, should never really strongly affect the plastics industry, all petrochemicals, plastics packaging and films.
Petrochemicals are the noblest use of oil, and less than 10% of current oil consumption, as a primary raw material.
Mankind should never have burnt oil, whether it is a fossil resource or a continuing earth chemical abiotic process, or both. Now it is time to develop other sources of energy and leave oil to its true role, the raw material of the most imaginative and diversified man-made products ever.
Table 1. World plastics consumption, in thousands of tons, 2005, 2007, 2015
| Commodity, rounded |
189 350 |
6.3 |
214 000 |
349 350 |
| PVC |
29 000 |
4 |
32 000 |
43 000 |
| PELD /LLD |
39 000 |
5 |
43 000 |
63 000 |
| PEHD |
28 600 |
5 |
32 000 |
47 000 |
| PP |
42 00 |
10 |
51 000 |
109 000 |
| PS |
12 00 |
3 |
12 700 |
16 000 |
| EPS |
3 700 |
6 |
4 100 |
7 500 |
| ABS |
6 900 |
5 |
7 600 |
11 300 |
| Other styrenics & alloys |
800 |
5 |
880 |
1 300 |
| PET bottles |
8 500 |
10 |
9 500 |
22 000 |
| PET films and other |
2 250 |
3 |
2 400 |
3 000 |
| PUR |
10 800 |
5 |
11 900 |
17 600 |
| PMMA |
1 200 |
5 |
1 300 |
1 950 |
| UP |
2 500 |
4 |
2 700 |
3 700 |
| Thermoset moldings |
1 000 |
4 |
1 080 |
1 500 |
| Epoxy |
1 100 |
3 |
1 160 |
1 500 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Engineering, rounded |
6 880 |
7.7 |
8 000 |
14 390 |
| PA |
2 500 |
7 |
2 860 |
4 900 |
| PC, including in alloys |
2 600 |
9 |
3 090 |
6 200 |
| POM |
760 |
7 |
870 |
1 500 |
| PBT PET |
670 |
7 |
770 |
1 320 |
| PPE PPO |
350 |
3 |
370 |
470 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Specialty, rounded |
265 |
7.2 |
304 |
529 |
| PTEE |
80 |
3 |
85 |
107 |
| Other FP, PVDF |
40 |
7 |
46 |
80 |
| PPS |
65 |
8 |
76 |
140 |
| PSU |
22 |
7 |
25 |
43 |
| PES, PPSU |
11 |
10 |
13 |
28 |
| LCP |
27 |
12 |
35 |
84 |
| PAEK PEEK |
2 |
9 |
2 |
5 |
| PEI |
1 |
10 |
13 |
28 |
| PI |
6 |
7 |
7 |
12 |
| Other specialty |
1 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
Sources: Updated estimates from Pardos Marketing, from study Plastics in the world 2005-2015
* AARG % Average annual rate of growth
Table 2. Extrusion of main thermoplastics, in 2007, in thousands of tons
| PVC |
32000 |
18000 |
5000 |
1000 |
1000 |
2300 |
|
27300 |
| PELD/LLD |
43000 |
1000 |
3000 |
28000 |
|
1800 |
5000 |
38800 |
| PEHD |
32000 |
5000 |
4000 |
11000 |
12000 |
3200 |
|
35200 |
| PP |
51000 |
2000 |
2000 |
6000 |
|
|
10000 |
20000 |
| PS |
12700 |
|
5000 |
800 |
|
|
|
5800 |
| ABS |
7600 |
500 |
1000 |
|
|
|
|
1500 |
| PET |
12000 |
|
1500 |
2500 |
|
|
|
4000 |
| Engineering |
8000 |
|
1400 |
100 |
|
|
|
1500 |
| All main plastics above |
198300 |
26500 |
22900 |
49400 |
13000 |
7300 |
15000 |
134100 |
| % extruded |
|
12% |
10% |
22% |
6% |
3% |
7% |
60% |
| All plastics |
223000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*EBM extrusion blow molding
** Mainly extrusion coating, PP fibers
Table 3. World consumption of films in 2007, in thousands of tons:
| Polyethylene total films |
33 000 |
39 000 |
| Of which PE-LD films |
11 000 |
12 000 |
| PE-LLD films |
13 000 |
16 000 |
| PE-HD films |
9 000 |
11 000 |
| Polypropylene total films |
1 800 |
6 000 |
| Of which OPP/BOPP films |
3 700 |
4 700 |
| Cast PP films |
1 100 |
1 300 |
| PVC |
800 |
1 000 |
| PS |
600 |
800 |
| PET, PETG, PEN |
2 200 |
2 500 |
| Polyamides OPA |
120 |
150 |
| Polyamides cast and coex |
200 |
220 |
| Cellophane |
70 |
60 |
| Aluminium foil |
1 500 |
1 500 |
| Multilayer films |
7 500 |
8 500 |
| EVA higher grades |
600 |
600 |
| Ionomers |
120 |
150 |
| EVOH |
90 |
130 |
| PVDC |
135 |
130 |
| Biodegradable films |
70 |
80 |
| Polyvinyl butyral |
160 |
180 |
| Grand total rounded |
52 000* |
61 000* |
*Some amount of double counting due to the multilayers, plus aluminium foil
Table 4. Relative split of film consumption, packaging and other uses, 2007
| Polyethylene |
39 000 |
75 |
Refuse, agriculture, building, disposables |
| Polypropylene |
6 000 |
100 |
|
| PVC |
1 000 |
50 |
Medical, furniture, membranes, agriculture, stationery, ceilings, building |
| PS |
800 |
80 |
Stationery, envelops |
| PET |
2 500 |
45 |
Magnetic tapes, reprography, telectronics |
| Polyamides |
370 |
98 |
|
| Cellophane |
60 |
98 |
|
| Multilayer films |
8 500 |
98 |
|
| Ionomers |
150 |
80 |
|
| EVOH |
130 |
80 |
Development in pipes, fuel tanks |
| PVDC |
130 |
95 |
|
| Biodegradable |
80 |
100 |
|
| PVB |
180 |
0 |
Car glass, window protection, building |
Table 5. Plastic films end-uses, selected applications
Packaging |
Flexible packaging growing faster than rigid packaging, at least 7 % per annum world wide
Europe and US, 50% of world total, decreasing.
Over 80 % is used for food packaging. Main applications:
Stretch and shrink films
Bags and sacks
Heavy duty sacks and big bags
Free standing bags and pouches
Labels, filmic labels, sleeves, display films
Lidding
Strapping
Multilayer films |
Building construction |
Protection films, water reservoirs, lining, public works, geomembranes, window films, solar and protection, roofing, stretched ceilings, water treatment, filtering |
Agriculture |
Silage, mulching, tunnels and crop protection, green houses |
Consumer goods |
Garbage bags, household films, disposable diapers and related products, credit cards, tarpaulins |
Medical applications |
Blood bags, infusion, pouches for waste fluids |
Automobile industry |
Film over molding on some parts outside of the car, to replace paint. |
Electrical/electronic industries |
Films for capacitors, or condensers, PET and thin PP
Films for electronics, of higher specialty, like PI films and competing materials, flexible circuits.
Magnetic tapes
Diffuser films
Membrane touch switches
Conductive films
Flat panel displays
|
All other applications |
Synthetic paper
Releasing films
Films for graphic arts
Weather and high altitude balloons, etc. |
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