Quarterly Report – May 2021

Following the impact of COVID in 2020, the global plastics industry is expected to rebound in 2021 owing to the resumption of activities in major end markets in line with progressive containment of the pandemic, a new report forecasts. It also notes that the trend towards reshoring, or having products manufactured locally, is expected to have a significant impact as manufacturers look to secure supply chains by building new facilities and expanding operations in key regions such as Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Turkey has announced a ban on most plastics waste imports, removing polyethylene used in shopping bags and many forms of packaging from the list of polymers allowed into the country as from July 3. Official data show that Turkey was the UK’s top destination for plastic waste exports in 2020, taking around 210,000 tonnes.

In another development, the Middle East’s award-winning sustainability pioneer, Bee’ah, has joined forces with PepsiCo to support the company’s commitment to collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% Aquafina plastic packaging produced in the UAE in 2021. Bee’ah’s MRF is one of the largest producers of plastic recyclables in the Middle East with an annual capacity of over 600,000 tonnes.