Speaking at the Energy and Circular Economy Days in Trevi (Perugia), Luca Bianconi, president of Assobioplastiche, reiterated the main obstacles hindering European and Italian investment in the bioplastics sector, both of which can be traced back to loopholes in EU environmental regulations.
‘Our companies are losing competitiveness compared to their Asian competitors, who often benefit from public subsidies, with low labour costs and less stringent regulations than those in Europe,’ said Bianconi. ‘This dumping situation has eroded significant market share, and although European production capacity remains high, it is now underutilised in several sectors.’
A second issue, repeatedly highlighted by the association, concerns the proliferation of single-use plastic items passed off as reusable, in order to avoid the restrictions imposed by the SUP Directive.
Concluding his speech, Bianconi emphasised the need for clear rules: “Only in this way can we restart investment in a structural manner, ensuring the development of the entire sector. We also hope that a specific Ateco or NACE code will soon be assigned to the compostable bioplastics supply chain, which would allow for the recognition of all activities related to the production of biopolymers and bioplastic packaging.”

Source: https://www.polimerica.it/articolo.asp?id=34509