A new test by consumer organisations in four countries1 found chemicals of concern in single-use tableware made of popular non-plastic alternatives, such as disposable plant fibre bowls, paper straws, or palm leaf plates. Several products were also found to mislead consumers with unsubstantiated…
The newest line, which was put into operation in early April, is worth 1.5m euros and is the last part of an investment launched last year. The line is currently in test mode and production is expected to start at full speed in a few weeks.This is the largest production line of Extrapack. It is assembled entirely by the company’s team, with components from China, Germany and Ireland, while the structure is manufactured in Bulgaria. The line will produce nonwoven textiles for medical and hygienic products, furniture production, interior textiles, etc.
The Polymers for Europe Alliance was set up by the European Plastics Converters association (EuPC) in 2015 due to the shortage of polymers for converters in Europe. Its objective is to build and maintain good communications between suppliers and customers of polymers and additives in Europe following the catastrophic situation during the first semester of 2015. The monitoring of Force Majeure declarations globally of polymer producers by the Alliance showed an alarming increase in issued declarations by numerous polymer producers towards the end of 2020.
The petrochemical company Lukoil is building a new plant for polypropylene (PP) in Burgas, Bulgaria.The company has acquired a license for a production line “Novolen” with a capacity of 280,000 tons / year from the American company Lummus, Texas. The contract also includes the technical design planning, training and services as well as a supply deal for catalysts, including metallocene types. Lukoil already has a PP production line with a capacity of 80,000 t / y in Burgas. The group also has another PP production facility in its Russian “Stavrolen” complex in the city of Budyonnovsk, which has a capacity of 120,000 tons / year.
According to PlasticsEurope, the EU countries produce 58 million tonnes of plastic each year, about half of which becomes waste. Each year 25 million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped in Europe and only 30% of it is recycled, 39% is incinerated and 30% is landfilled. On January 16, 2018, the European Commission adopted the “European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy “, which is part of the transition to the sustainable use of resources.In an effort to contribute to achieving Strategy goals, the Bulgarian company Askania Casting Ltd. developed and implemented a pilot project – resource efficient and innovative technological line for production of plastic parts for fans, which aims to prevent the formation of plastic waste in the existing production of the company, thus contributing to the sustainable development of the Bulgarian and European economy. The implementation of the new technology is a major change in the whole production process. At the heart of the innovative production line is a device for detecting and controlling changes in the properties of the material during the injection molding process, which is patented with two patents
On October 7, 2020, a conference of companies representatives of the the Polymer industry was held to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of BAP.The event began with a presentation by Mr. Anton Peychev, Senior Expert in the Directorate “Waste Management and Soil Protection” in the MOEW on “Responsibilities and challenges for plastic processors related to the forthcoming changes in national legislation with a view to transposing Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament on reducing the impact of the single use plastic products, as well as waste management in connection with the circular economy and EP Directive 2018/852 on packaging and packaging waste.
With its latest agreement on the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and coronavirus recovery fund, the European Council has also approved the implementation of the so-called plastic tax as of the 1st of January 2021. The plan foresees a €0.80/kg levy on non-recycled plastic packaging waste to be paid by member states into the EU budget.
Mrs. Tsvetanka Todorova, President of BAP attended a wide-format meeting at the Bulgarian National Assembly of which the Minister of Environment and Water Emil Dimitrov presented the MOEW policy in the Waste Management sector.
The meeting was attended by MPs from the Environment and Water Commission, the Ministry of Environment and Water and the Executive Environmental Agency, representatives of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, ASECOB, employers and industry organizations. They discussed the MOEW’s current measures to strengthen waste management controls and upcoming legislative initiatives in this direction.
In an interview in “Die Welt” the new EU Commissioner for Environment, Virginijus Sinkevicius, thinks aloud about a general ban on plastic packaging in Europe. The Associations representing the European polymer industry consider this idea to be counterproductive and calls on the EU Commissioner to do more to ensure that plastic packaging in Europe does not end up in landfills but is recycled.
Branch Association Polymers is officially registered cluster of plastic converting and recycling companies in BG which also includes academic and research organisations in the field of polymers. The cluster is categorized by the Executive Agency for Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises under procedure BG16RFOP002-2.009 “Development of clusters in Bulgaria” as developing.
