The World in 2030

Introduction
This report has been commissioned by PlasticsEurope 1 – the
trade association which represents the European plastics
manufacturing industry. In their original brief Plastics Europe
indicated that their aim was to commission a report that
would describe future lifestyles and trends in a way that
would appeal to the emotions, aspirations and ambitions of
the widest possible group of people and which would also
demonstrate the sustainable value of plastics as a material
for the 21st century.
As a condition of undertaking this task I asked for, and
was granted, complete independence and control over the
content. I was also delighted to learn that PlasticsEurope
wanted the issues of climate change, sustainability and energy
efficiency to be a main focus of this report.
My research has revealed that the plastics industry
is strongly carbon beneficial and its products are of great
help in tackling climate change. Although mostly produced
from oil, the light weight and high strength of plastics (in
car components, plane construction, cargo pallets, building
insulation, etc.) means that far more energy and carbon is
saved through the use of plastics than is consumed in its
manufacture. However, if disposed of carelessly, waste plastic
can pose a serious environmental problem.