Plastic recycling business opportunities

As long as the quality is satisfactory, consumers are willing to purchase products made from recycled plastics, which is one of the facts drawn by the research institute completed by Heidelberg Eco-integrated Markets and Research AG. The company specializes in market research related to ecological products. It has raised questions for a total of 498 decision makers and 1,400 families from the plastics industry. The purpose is to analyze why the recycled material has not been successfully penetrated in the plastics market and what are the possibilities for the development of market potential.

High level of consumer acceptance
Consumer acceptance of recycled plastics is high. In the range from the lowest value of 1 to the highest value of 7, the score is 5.19. The person questioned said that when purchasing a product, they will give priority to products containing recycled materials rather than those containing no recycled materials. For them, the most important benchmark is quality. When they purchase recycled products, the feeling of personal contribution to the protection of natural resources plays almost the same role. More than half of the consumers who were asked were even willing to pay a little extra for the products made from recycled plastics, which was on average 12%. For other consumers, product needs are cheaper. In the immediate environment in which the person being questioned is located, other family members exert the greatest influence on the purchase decision. Moreover, most people develop the habit of separating wastes and do not regard it as annoying. Most people think that recycling plastics is worthwhile and is better than other methods.

Survey data shows that plastic recycling is the most popular environmental technology. The plastics industry did not take this positive phenomenon seriously or received a high degree of acceptance.

However, the survey also showed that people still lack knowledge about recycling plastics, and most of the people questioned could not name any recycled plastics. The best known fact is that PET, PVC and EPS (expanded polystyrene) can be recycled (Figure 1). Most consumers will welcome the marking of plastic products containing recycled materials. When estimating the proportion of recycled materials in household products, there are significant differences: Although plastics industry professionals think that this figure is about 5%, a large part of people believe that the share of recycled materials exceeds 50%.

Children and friends also make decisions
For the representatives of the plastics industry included in this survey, quality is also the most important. In particular, the plastics industry also values ​​the smooth processing and functional performance of recycled plastics. Surprisingly, people who were asked thought that the second most important benchmark was the opinions of their children and friends. If they like to use recycled plastics, then this is one of the most important reasons for processing recycled materials. Almost as many policy makers believe that they are also contributing to environmental protection through the use of recycled plastics, but that they are unlikely to leave a better image for end users.

In the plastics processing industry, the degree of understanding of recycled plastics is very different. Although 85% of the respondents were aware of PVC regrind, only 39% were familiar with polyethylene regrind. On the other hand, a large number of products containing recycled materials, a total of 251 kinds, were named together with the formula (Table 1).

The difference in the scope of application is obvious. The automotive and construction industry (20% each) and the electrical and furniture industry (11% each) processed a total of 62%, or nearly two-thirds of the recovered material (Figure 2). In 2005, plastics processing companies used about the same amount of recycled materials. It is unlikely that growth will occur in the near future, but growth can be foreseen in the long term.

to sum up
â—† In the short term, there will not be a big change in the amount of each recycled material. The link between familiarity with a particular regrind and limited applications shows that there is a lack of market transparency and an understanding of the type and potential use of regrind. Doing more work and explaining the situation to customers will make it possible to realize a huge sales potential.

â—† The diversity of sources makes it necessary for regrind producers to make a big difference to reach customers, with the aim of achieving a broad sales market. For each manufacturer, it also provides a good opportunity for them to position themselves in the market.

â—† In the target market, some industries have become major customers. The greater potential in certain industries, such as the furniture industry, remains to be analyzed.

â—† In many cases, (potential) users suspect that the technical performance of the recycled material may not be a problem at all times. In such cases, it is necessary to determine whether a real technical problem is involved, or whether it is only a case of poor image. The latter can be improved by spreading more information.

â—† Many companies in the plastics processing industry recognize the environmental benefits of the use of recycled materials but do not recognize the potential arising from the limited nature of crude oil. Therefore, it is recommended to emphasize the use of recycled materials in protecting resources and enhance its image.

â—† Products containing recycled materials should be marked.

â—† When purchasing products, you should tap into the potential of the private circle through solid communication.

Due to the existence of regulatory provisions (TASi2005) and cost-effectiveness, plastic recycling will become more economical and competitive.

Related Links: Analysis of Chinese Plastics Recycling and Recycling
Plastic recycling industry has broad prospects in China. The plastics industry is the pillar of the national economy, and recycling is the only way for the sustainable development of the plastics industry. Plastic regeneration can not only save resources, ease the contradiction between the supply and demand of plastic materials, but also make an important contribution to environmental protection. This is obviously not enough in our country. It is a good thing for the country and the people to let the plastics recycling industry develop healthily and continuously. It should be said that this industry has made no small progress in recent years, and some places have formed a certain scale. The local government has taken advantage of the situation and cultivated a recycling plastics industrial park with an annual output value of several hundred million yuan. People expect that the government will better perform its functions and introduce relevant regulations and standards to correctly guide the recycling of waste plastics. The operators of this industry must improve production technology, integrate technology into production, improve product quality, create brand products, and pay attention to saving resources and preventing environmental pollution, both for their own benefit and for the benefit of society.


Source: International Plastics Business