1 April 2008 The UK plastics industry has gone a little way to redressing the anti-plastic bias in British newspapers with a special supplement that appears today in The Times.
Innovations in Plastics has been produced independently by MediaPlanet and is supported by advertising and sponsorship from companies and organisations involved in the UK plastics industry.
The British Plastics Federation, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, is one group that supported the supplement. Calum Forsyth, president of the BPF, and group managing director of Wavin UK, contributed the introductory article which emphasises the strong contribution made by the UK s plastics industry to the economy and society. The industry is fit for the future , says Forsyth, who then goes on to elaborate on the UK industry's competitive edge in global markets, in particular its capacity for innovation.
The appearance of the supplement in such a prominent newspaper is timely given the UK media s recent negative coverage of plastics used in shopping bags and water bottles and the BBC s reports last week on plastics waste in oceans.
The supplement s articles explore the environmental benefits of plastics, from recycling and sustainability to their innovative use in applications for health, transport, construction and packaging.
Among the environmental benefits discussed in the articles, the BPF picked out: how, without plastics, the weight of packaging would increase by 400%, energy usage would double and waste would rise by 150%; how plastics components in cars save 750 litres of fuel over a 90,000 mile lifespan; and how a new A380 aircraft with 20% of its bodyweight made from carbon fibre reinforced plastics burns 21% less fuel per passenger than earlier versions.
Innovations in Plastics has been produced independently by MediaPlanet and is supported by advertising and sponsorship from companies and organisations involved in the UK plastics industry.
The British Plastics Federation, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, is one group that supported the supplement. Calum Forsyth, president of the BPF, and group managing director of Wavin UK, contributed the introductory article which emphasises the strong contribution made by the UK s plastics industry to the economy and society. The industry is fit for the future , says Forsyth, who then goes on to elaborate on the UK industry's competitive edge in global markets, in particular its capacity for innovation.
The appearance of the supplement in such a prominent newspaper is timely given the UK media s recent negative coverage of plastics used in shopping bags and water bottles and the BBC s reports last week on plastics waste in oceans.
The supplement s articles explore the environmental benefits of plastics, from recycling and sustainability to their innovative use in applications for health, transport, construction and packaging.
Among the environmental benefits discussed in the articles, the BPF picked out: how, without plastics, the weight of packaging would increase by 400%, energy usage would double and waste would rise by 150%; how plastics components in cars save 750 litres of fuel over a 90,000 mile lifespan; and how a new A380 aircraft with 20% of its bodyweight made from carbon fibre reinforced plastics burns 21% less fuel per passenger than earlier versions.
