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A Global Look at Plastics: Quantities, Uses, and Benefits Pete Grande President of Command Packaging September 7, 2005. Presentation Outline. The Plastics Industry: Recognizes there is a litter problem Understands there is limited reliable data available
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A Global Look at Plastics: Quantities, Uses, and Benefits Pete Grande President of Command Packaging September 7, 2005
Presentation Outline The Plastics Industry: • Recognizes there is a litter problem • Understands there is limited reliable data available • Agrees that standards need to be developed for sampling protocol/procedures • Desires to communicate better, the significance of our industry • Committed to working in partnership to find solutions
Plastics Industry is Pleased to be a Partner in This Pioneering Effort • Appreciate the cooperative spirit of working and learning together: • Industry • Government • Regulators • Environmentalists
Together we can Break New Ground Challenges facing Research Efforts: • Limited amount of prior reliable data available for evaluation • No standards exist for sampling protocol/procedures • Limited sampling has been done to date • Record rainfall this past year may influence findings
A “Rivers to Sea” Glossary AMRF Algalita Marine Research Foundation APC American Plastics Council CFECA California Film Extruders and Converters Association SPI The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc.
Recent Developments 2003 - A Call to Action! AMRF alerted local industry that significant amounts of plastic pellets (resin) were being found in the ocean…
CFECA, SPI and Algalita Partnership • Educated Algalita about resin pellets and the complexity of the industry • SPI and CFECA wrote introduction letters to help Algalita visit plastics processors in order to help facilitate sampling process and determine whether pellet spills were coming from any local processors Steps taken by industry:
CFECA, SPI and Algalita Partnership • Industry began grassroots programs to address environmental issues. • Curbside recycling pilot program in San Juan Capistrano. • Environmentally Preferred Rating program (EPR). • Participation by key industry leaders with L.A. City Council on LA River Plastic Litter task force . Steps taken by industry cont…
CFECA, SPI and Algalita Partnership • SPI and industry leaders completely updated, re-emphasized, and have ardently promoted the Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) program in order to reduce and eliminate industrial pellet loss. Steps taken by industry cont…
How Did We Get Here?Plastics Enormous Benefits Plastics products improve our daily lives and have made vast improvements in areas such as: • Medicine - helping us all live longer, healthier lives • Electronics - information, communication, and entertainment • Building and Construction - durability, aesthetics, and high performance • Transportation - Automotive, Aerospace, Space Exploration • Personal protection - children, athletes, police and firefighters • Innovative packaging - freshness, storage stability, and protection from bacteria • Recyclability and reuse (SPI created the international recycling symbols/numbers to facilitate recycling)
Benefits of PlasticsCase Study: Transportation • During the oil crisis in the 70’s, automakers found that plastics made cars more energy efficient by reducing weight. • Plastics began finding their way into automobile components (bumpers, fenders, doors, etc.) • Plastics were also used for their • Durability • Corrosion Resistance • Toughness • Resiliency • Lightweight
Benefits of PlasticsTransportation cont… • Plastics reduced the weight of the average passenger car built in 1988 by 145 pounds. • That saves millions of gallons of gas each year and will save the energy equivalent of 21 million barrels of oil over the average lifetime of those cars.
U.S. Plastic Resins Growth – 2004 • Production grew in 2004 to 115.1 billion pounds • An increase of 8.1 percent over 2003 • Sales and captive use rose 6.9 percent, the highest growth rate since 1996, reaching 113.8 billion pounds (Source: American Plastics Council)
Plastics is a complex industry • Processors – (four main processing methods) • Injection Molding • Extrusion • Blow Molding • Thermoforming • Equipment Suppliers • Raw Material Suppliers
Plastics Bags Plastic Packaging Film and Sheet Non-packaging Film and Sheet Plastics Profile Shapes Plastics Pipe & Pipe Fittings Laminated Plate, Sheet and Shape Polystyrene Foam Products Urethane and Other Foam Products Plastic Bottles Plastic Plumbing Fixtures Resilient Floor Covering Plastics Products, Not Classified Elsewhere (Source: Probe Economics, Inc. 2004) Range of Products (defined by government’s NAICS codes)
Today’s Reality • Plastics products have become an integral part of all our lives, and play an irreplaceable role in our day-to-day activities.
Comparison with Other IndustriesUnited States Plastics industry is the nation’s 4th largest manufacturing industry (shipments): • Motor Vehicles and Equipment • Petroleum Refining • Electronic Components and Accessories • Plastics (Source: Probe Economics, Inc. 2004)
Scope of the Plastics Industry (2002)United States • The U.S. plastics industry employed more than 1.4 million people • Another 772,000 persons were employed by upstream industries that supplied the plastics industry • Total of 2.2 million workers – about 2 percent of the U.S. workforce (Source: Probe Economics, Inc. 2004)
Scope of the Plastics Industry (2002)United States • Nearly 20,000 plastics industry establishments generated approximately $310 billion in shipments • Another $83 billion was generated by upstream, supplying industries • Total annual shipments from plastics activity to $393 billion (Source: Probe Economics, Inc. 2004)
Scope of the Plastics Industry (2002)California • Plastics Industry Jobs in California – 137,809. California is ranked first in the country in plastics employment. • Plastics Industry Shipment in California – $26.8 billion. California ranked second in the country in plastics shipments. (Source: Probe Economics, Inc. 2004)
Plastics – Global ImportanceImport and Export • Plastics resin and plastic finished products are imported and exported at a significant level across the world, via the oceans and by other means • Canada, Mexico, other Latin America and China account for dominant percentages of U.S. plastics industry exports and imports. (Source: Probe Economics, Inc. 2004)
Future Growth of Plastics(per capita consumption 2001-2010) 20012010 • North America 223 lbs. 326 lbs. • Latin America 44 lbs. 68 lbs. • Western Europe 208 lbs. 300 lbs. • Eastern Europe 26 lbs. 53 lbs. • Africa/Middle East 18 lbs. 22 lbs. • Japan 194 lbs. 256 lbs. • Southeast Asia 29 lbs. 53 lbs. **Less than 2% of a barrel of crude oil is used in the production of plastics. (Source: BASF AG)
In Closing… We hope that many good things will come from this conference, including: • Agreeing that more research and scientific data is needed • Identifying topics and research that need to be addressed • Continuing to grow these relationships that have been built on trust and candor
The plastics industry is united in our efforts to help stop marine debris in all forms • We will continue to do our part as industry to work towards achieving OCS’s ultimate goal of Zero Pellet Loss