Top plastics resin producers launch Worlds Plastics Council, with group to facilitate unified approach to addressing opportunities and issues facing the industry; Bayer MaterialScience CEO, PlasticsEurope President Patrick Thomas nominated as chairman

Allison Oesterle

DÜSSELDORF, Germany , October 22, 2013 (press release) – A Voice for the Global Plastics Industry

Top executives from plastics resin producers gathered during the 2013 K Fair, the world’s largest plastics industry exhibition, to discuss whether to establish a new World Plastics Council.

At the meeting participants agreed to launch the World Plastics Council, to be the voice of global plastics manufacturers and to facilitate a united approach to address global opportunities and issues facing the industry.

Initiated by PlasticsEurope and the American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division, the meeting brought together some 50 industry leaders from all parts of the world, including China, Korea, Japan, India, Thailand, the Middle East, North and South America and Europe.

“The World Plastics Council is bringing together strong, committed plastics industry leaders from around the world to address the complex global issues facing our industry today,” said Steve Russell, vice president of plastics for the American Chemistry Council. “The WPC will provide a forum to share key learnings and foster ideas that will enable our industry to continue playing an essential role in building a more promising and sustainable future.”

Patrick Thomas, CEO of Bayer MaterialScience and President of PlasticsEurope, has been nominated to initially chair the newly founded organisation. Thomas expressed his hopes for the organization saying: “The success of any global initiative requires the participation of the largest and most influential industry members in the organisation, hence it is encouraging to see that 80 percent of the world’s leading plastics producers came together and fully support the launch of a World Plastics Council. I believe we have started a forum that will benefit both the industry and society in the future.”

He added that he would like the Council to be a platform for the world’s plastic producers to discuss ways to collaborate and work together in order to address the needs of stakeholders and to further advance the interests of the industry.

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