2023-05-21 08:24:29
It is one of the most important sectors of the national industry, and yet the challenges it faces remain enormous. Explosion of raw material costs, ecological standards, innovation, Moroccan plastics processors are preparing to embark on a considerable shift that will determine their future. It is in this context that the Moroccan Plastics Federation (FMP) is preparing to organize, from June 7 to 10, both the 9th edition of the PlastExpo and the 4th edition of PackExpo.
The plastics industry in Morocco has an annual turnover of 28 billion dirhams and nearly 75,000 direct jobs, which makes it the second most important sector in the transformation of the country’s chemical industries. “Contrary to popular belief, plastic is not limited to everyday use. 90% of production is industry-oriented, making it a locomotive industry”, explained Ahmed Ben El Arroubia, Managing Director of Nanoplast Industrie, during the press conference announcing the two events.
Innovate or die
Among these customers, there are high-tech industries such as automotive, aeronautics, or even medical devices. And the demand will only increase in the coming years. Extracted from oil, plastic is paradoxically an important element of the ecological transition. For example, manufacturers of electric cars are making massive use of this material to reduce the weight of their vehicles. Plastic also allows better thermal insulation of buildings.
The same goes for water management, since plastic is used in the manufacture of drip irrigation systems, as well as in pipes. “This is why we must rely on innovation to develop new niches, new products, new composites capable of meeting these new challenges.“, continues Ahmed Ben El Arroubia.
On this point, the representatives of the FMP are unanimous: to remain competitive, we must innovate. The plastic of tomorrow will no longer be that of yesterday, and will have to integrate ecological standards and meet new market needs. To achieve this, the manufacturer calls on the sector to open up to universities and research centers, in order to help it in this project.
Circular economy
Like the rest of the sectors of the economy, the plastics industry has suffered the brunt of the soaring prices of raw materials. “Our supply costs increased by 100 to 120%, an increase that we ended up passing on to our selling prices”, confides Nabil Saouaf, director of the FMP. The situation was all the more complicated as the sector is highly dependent on raw material imports, and manufacturers had to deal with disruptions in supply chains and increased transport prices.
“Fortunately, we were able to get through this phase by relying on recycled material and locally produced PVC”, Nabil Saouaf explains to us. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), one of the main inputs in the plastics industry, is manufactured in Morocco by a single company, SNEP (Chaâbi group). Because of this status, the company benefits from trade defense measures once morest competing imports (see box).
Nearly 30% of the supply comes from recycled material. On this aspect, the FMP wants to go further in the treatment and recovery of plastic waste, by implementing a new circular economy approach. “Plastic waste is a deposit, and today we only ask to have it because it allows us to be competitive. But the problem is quite complex and goes beyond manufacturers. It involves social, financial and human issues,” develops Nabil Saouaf.
The plastics manufacturers, however, claim to have opened their doors wide to these recycling workers, by integrating the Moroccan Association for Recycling and Valorization of Plastic Waste (AMRP) into their federation.
1684659615
#sector #crossroads #INTÉGRAL
