Because.... Plastic helps ensure high resource efficiency.  Plastic has a low weight, is easy to shape, is durable and can be recycled; all properties crucial to making an environmentally correct choice of material. By choosing plastic over other materials, energy consumption and CO2 emissions can be reduced. This is what we believe: Plastic is an environmentally correct choice. Energy consumption can be reduced by choosing plastic over other materials. New technologies and materials must be assessed in a lifecycle perspective. Environmental taxes should be based on environmentally factual criteria. For example, taxes must not prevent efficient utilisation of waste heat from industry. This is what we will do: We will develop a ‘Climate Toolbox’ to help our members afford high priority to climate and energy policy. Through communication of eco-design and lifecycle analyses, we will help our members and designers to utilise the environmental advantages of plastic. We will promote environmental information about plastic products by, for example, participating in the development of product-specific guidelines for environmental declarations on plastic products. We will disseminate knowledge about new materials and technologies (e.g. bioplastics and nanotechnologies) to our members and take part in relevant debate.

Did you know that...?

Plastic saves resources

A modern car contains 100 kg plastics, which replace 2-300 kg traditional materials. This weight reduction leads to savings of 500 litres of petrol over the car’s lifetime.

Plastic reduces energy consumption and CO2  emissions
Calculations show that the use of plastic in Western Europe as a replacement for traditional materials has reduced the energy need (for transport, heating etc.) by what annually corresponds to a third of the target for the former  15 EU Member States laid down in the Kyoto Protocol.

Pre-insulated pipes make a difference
Modern pipe systems, for example for district heating and cooling, are pre-insulated. Factory-checked insulation is not just an energy-efficient solution, it also protects the environment. Pre-isolated pipes with built-in diffusion barriers reduce heat loss from a pipe system by up to 30% and also mean reduced CO2 emissions in energy production.

The world's longest wind turbine wing is produced in Denmark
The world's longest wind turbine wing measures 61.5 meters and is made of fibre reinforced composite plastics, also called glass fibre. A wind turbine wing of this size is subject to powerful forces. When it comes to the strength and stiffness of a construction, glass fibre is a unique material.

EPS plastic insulates our homes
The amount of EPS insulation which can be produced from 1kg oil saves on average 200 kg oil on heating in the first 50 years of the building's lifetime.

Plastic saves fuel
25 per cent of the world's largest passenger aircraft - the new Airbus A380 - consists of light plastic composite materials. This leads to savings in fuel consumption per passenger of 17 per cent compared to the rival Boeing 747.

Plastic minimises packaging consumption
1 kg plastic can package almost 30 litres of beverages. Packaging the same in traditional other materials would require 1½ kg aluminium, 3½ kg steel or 12 kg glass.

Plastic saves energy for transport
As a consequence of the plastic bottles' lower weight, a lorry with soft drinks in plastic bottles saves 40 per cent in fuel consumption compared to a similar lorry filled with soft drinks in glass bottles.

Future spaceships may be made of plastic
NASA's researchers have developed a new plastic composite material called RXF1, which is both stronger and lighter than aluminium and at the same time provides a super protection against spatial radiation. Who knows - the safest way to get to Mars could be in a plastic spaceship?