18-21 . 05 .20 27 plastpol.com International Fair of Plastics and Rubber Processing #1 in Central Europe Kielce, PolandUntil recently, European industry often described itself in the language of the green transition. Wind turbines, electromobility, recycling, carbon footprint and ever more sustainability strategies dominated the narrative. All of this remains important. But reality has added new terms to that vocabu- lary: security, strategic autonomy and production capabilities. This is not surprising. Russia’s war against Ukraine has entered its fifth year, and growing tensions in the Middle East are another clear sign that security is no longer an abstract idea used only in political speeches. In this new context, SAFE (Security Action for Europe) has emerged as an EU instrument that could provide up to EUR 150 billion in loans for defence investment. It is also part of the wider Readiness 2030 plan, which is shap- ing a new vision for Europe’s indus- trial future. These are not funds based on idealism. They are not about broad promises of a better tomorrow. They are resources linked to strategy and directed at real capabilities: air defence, artillery, drones, cybersecurity, ammunition, infrastructure and military mobility. In other words, this is policy focused not on slogans, but on the foundations of security and production. From an industrial perspective, how- ever, the key question is more specific: will this funding translate into real pro- duction, stronger industrial capability and greater manufacturing capacity in Europe? The programme is clearly designed to strengthen Europe’s own defence industry, but the real test will be whether it leads to new factories, new production lines, new orders and stronger supply chains. If it does, the effect will go far beyond defence budgets, extending into manufactur- ing, research, materials development and supplier networks across the con- tinent. In the end, what is at stake is not defence alone, but Europe’s indus- trial base itself – its ability to produce key materials and components at home, scale them when needed and reduce dependence on outside part- ners in critical sectors. This goes far beyond the traditional defence sector. Large defence pro- grammes support not only final assem- bly plants or weapons producers. They also affect a wider industrial network: materials suppliers, electronics makers, processors, logistics operators, tool- makers and companies providing specialised technical parts. In prac- tice, the economic effect depends on how far this demand spreads across European industry. This is precisely where the plastics industry may enter the picture. Not as a headline player, but as a quiet and indispensable contributor. Modern security is no longer built solely on steel, explosives and artificial intelligence. It also relies on compos- ites, cable insulation, electronic hous- ings, technical components, seals, protective systems, lightweight parts for drones, elements of critical infra- structure and dozens of other prod- ucts that rarely make headlines, yet without which nothing functions. This does not mean that defence investment will solve the problems of Europe’s plastics processing sector. It will not remove high energy prices, regulatory pressure, low margins or competition from outside Europe. What it may offer, however, is some- thing the sector has lacked for a long time – a powerful political argument for investing in production, material technologies and European supply chains. This is where new niches, new orders and new reasons to invest may emerge – in areas that until recently were seen mainly as a cost. For the plastics industry, this is no cause for celebration, but it would be a mistake to ignore what it may bring. History shows that defence spending can drive industrial growth when it builds domestic production, technol- ogy and supply chains. Progress does not always come from comfort. More often, it comes from pressure – and ultimately from orders. Paweł Wiśniewski Editor-in-Chief International Edition 2026 03Plast EchoInternational Edition 2026 Table of contents Industry news06 Arburg showcases full processing spectrum at Technology Days19 Over 70 years shaping packaging injection molding technology20 Automated production of thermoplastic composite rotor blades24 Business talks Recycled content certification as a market requirement26 Interview with Yağmur Eroğlu, founder of CERTILOOP Market Insights A secure source of raw materials in uncertain times. Why the EU must increase demand for recycled plastics?30 A silver lining on the horizon of Europe’s plastic recycling crisis32 Processing plastics with Blow Moulding Factory33 The plastics processing industry in a new economic reality - Between stability and regulatory pressure34 Complexity or efficiency? Can Europe’s chemical industry compete without deeper integration?36 Advanced materials: Powering Europe’s industrial competitiveness40 Where the plastics industry meets Poland42 Top suppliers44 Final Note Green deal, red balance sheet45 And who is the fool here?46 PLAST ECHO Polish Plastics Magazine International Edition 2026 ISSN 2719-4671 www.plastecho.com Publisher Plastech Paweł Wiśniewski S.K.A. Relaksowa 4 87-100 Toruń, Poland +48 56 622 90 37 info@plastech.pl Editorial team Editor-in-chief Paweł Wiśniewskipw@plastech.pl +48 504 688 799 Editing and proofreading Oliwia Kołodziejskaok@plastech.pl Advertising and partnerships Krzysztof Tarasiewiczkt@plastech.pl +48 530 704 050 Grzegorz Robionekgr@plastech.pl +48 530 206 666 Cooperation partners Plastics Europe Poland Polish Union of Plastics Converters Bydgoszcz Industrial Cluster Tool Valley Plastics Recyclers Europe Printed by Drukarnia Standruk ul. Rapackiego 25 20-150 Lublin, Poland Circulation 2,000 copies Cover Recycling: No More Time to Waste Cover illustration created using AI. The editors reserve the right to edit submitted material. The editorial office is not responsible for the content of adver- tisements and announcements. © Plastech 2026. All rights reserved page 24 page 27 page 30 page 34 page 36 Plast Echo04Syensqo has signed a new multi-year agreement with Boeing for the supply of advanced composite materials and adhesive solutions used across the aircraft manufacturer’s commercial and defense programmes. The contract covers materials for a wide range of applica- tions, including primary and secondary structures, interior components and surfacing. The agreement confirms the importance of aerospace as Syensqo’s largest end market, accounting for around 20% of the group’s net sales. The company supplies Boeing with lightweight materials designed to support aircraft weight reduction, durability and production performance. Its portfolio for the aero- space sector includes advanced composites and structural adhesives used in high-performance applications where mechanical strength, reliability and process consistency are critical. The renewed agreement also reflects the long-standing position of aerospace within Syensqo’s business. The sector remains one of the company’s main areas of technological development, with material solutions aimed at improving fuel efficiency and helping reduce emissions over the air- craft lifecycle. For Boeing, the continuation of the partnership secures access to key materials used in both civil and military plat- forms. For Syensqo, the deal strengthens one of its most important growth segments and underlines the strategic role of aerospace in its long-term development. I Syensqo extends long-term supply agreement with Boeing BASF has expanded its Ultrason P portfolio to help manu- facturers of food-contact products adapt to the require- ments of EU Regulation 2024/3190, which restricts the use of hazardous bisphenols in materials intended to come into contact with food. The updated offer includes six polyphe- nylsulfone (PPSU) grades that are not based on Bisphenol S (BPS) or Bisphenol A (BPA). The EU regulation 2024/3190 entered into force in January 2025. It prohibits the use of hazardous bisphenols and derivatives in food-contact materials and articles, establish- ing transition periods for placing articles on the market until January 2028, depending on the specific article category. After that, affected articles may no longer be produced in or imported into the European Union. The change is par- ticularly relevant for manufacturers using materials such as polyethersulfone (PESU), polysulfone (PSU) and polyether- imide (PEI) in high-temperature food-contact applications. According to BASF, PPSU is not covered by the restric- tion and can serve as an alternative for products such as reusable bottles, catering tableware, coffee machine com- ponents and cookware exposed to high temperatures. The company says the six newly available grades are ready for sampling and are supported by technical data sheets, mate- rial certificates and food-contact documentation intended to facilitate qualification work. BASF also points out that existing injection moulding tools used for PESU can continue to be applied in the switch to PPSU, which may reduce implementation time and costs. The materials are offered in grades tailored to different processing and design requirements, including variants for easier mould release and a range of colour options. Ultrason P is part of BASF’s high-performance thermoplas- tics portfolio. In food-contact applications, PPSU is valued for dimensional stability, toughness and resistance to deter- gents, fats, oils and steam. I BASF expands PPSU range for food-contact applications under new EU bisphenol rules Boeing’s MQ-25 unmanned aircraft aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush Photo: Boeing Plast Echo06Industry newsNeste has commissioned a new upgrading facility for lique- fied waste plastic at its Porvoo refinery in Finland, mark- ing a further step in the scale-up of chemical recycling. The EUR 111 million investment gives the site the capacity to process up to 150,000 tonnes of liquefied waste plastic annually. According to the company, it is the world’s largest facility of this type. Neste has processed liquefied waste plastic, including pyrolysis oil, since 2020. Construction of the new unit began in 2023 and was completed at the end of 2025. Production ramp-up started in 2026 and is expected to continue gradually, depending on market conditions and legislative developments. The facility is designed to upgrade low-quality liquefied plastic waste into feedstock suitable for petrochemical production. This applies in particular to waste streams that are difficult to recycle mechanically, such as mixed plastic waste, multi-layer packaging and contaminated plastics. The aim is to create a route for processing plastic fractions that would otherwise be sent to incineration or landfill. At the Porvoo site, liquefied waste plastic is processed together with crude oil. Neste applies a mass balance approach to attribute recycled raw materials to its Neste RE product. The company also pointed to the importance of regulation, arguing that current EU calculation rules for recycled content may limit the role refineries can play in meeting future recycled content targets. Alongside the new facility, Neste is also involved in licensing liquefaction tech- nology for hard-to-recycle plastics together with Alterra and Technip Energies. I Neste expands chemical recycling with new Porvoo facility Amcor has obtained UN certification for two industrial plastic containers made with 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. The approved products are the 5.5-litre SuperLift Extra and the 5.8-litre SuperFlex, both manufac- tured at the company’s plant in Pamplona, Spain. The certification applies to packaging intended for the stor- age and transport of solid and powdered hazardous goods. This opens the way for broader use of recycled-content packaging in sectors where safety and regulatory compli- ance are critical, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical products and automotive applications. Amcor also points to potential demand from producers of swimming pool chemicals and treatment products. UN approval is particularly important in this segment because it confirms that the packaging meets strict per- formance requirements for handling hazardous materials. In practice, this means that the use of PCR resin does not prevent the containers from achieving the level of strength, tightness and reliability required for this type of application. The launch also reflects broader market pressure linked to sustainability targets and packaging legislation in Europe. Packaging users are increasingly expected to reduce virgin plastic consumption and increase the share of recycled material in their products. In this context, industrial packag- ing with high PCR content may become a useful option for companies seeking to align safety requirements with envi- ronmental objectives. Amcor notes that its Pamplona site, together with facilities in Besançon and La Genête in France and Lubień in Poland, holds RecyClass certification. This allows the company to offer verified claims regarding recyclability and recycled content for non-food packaging. Both certified containers are designed for efficient handling and transport. According to the company, they combine relatively low weight with a robust construction, while also supporting storage efficiency. The SuperFlex version can additionally be fitted with a child-resistant lid. I Amcor secures UN approval for PCR industrial containers International Edition 2026 07Plast EchoI New PET Washing Line Increases rPET Production in Turkey Herbold Meckesheim has received an order from Turkish recycling company Doğa PET for a second PET bottle washing line. The installation will operate at the company’s recycling facility in Kırklareli, Turkey, where it will double the site’s washing capa- city and increase daily production to around 200 tonnes of rPET flakes. The decision to expand follows the operation of the first washing line sup- plied by Herbold Meckesheim, which has been running since the first quar- ter of 2024. According to the operator, stable process performance and con- sistent output quality were decisive factors in selecting the same technol- ogy for the second installation. The new washing line follows the same core process concept as the existing system and is designed to process post-consumer PET bottles into washed flakes suitable for further recycling processes. Key process steps include forced feeding granulators for size reduction, a batch-type hot wash- ing system for contaminant removal and hydrocyclone density separation for separating PET from polyolefins and other impurities. While the general layout corresponds to the first plant, selected process mod- ules have been optimized based on operational experience and variations in input material composition. One of the most important modifications concerns the front-end preparation stage, where the pre-sorting capacity has been increased to approximately 8 t/h in order to improve the handling of incoming PET bottle bales. To support this higher throughput, the system includes a debaler and a wash- ing drum integrating both wet and dry sections in a single machine. This configuration enables the loosening of compressed bottle bales while simulta- neously removing loose contaminants before the main washing process. The adjustments are intended to stabilise material flow through the line and improve process efficiency when pro- cessing variable input streams. Preparations for delivery of the second washing line are currently underway. The first shipments was scheduled for early March 2026, with commission- ing at the recycling facility expected shortly afterwards. Once operational, the lines will significantly increase Doğa PET’s capacity for processing post-consumer PET bottles in Turkey. Hot wash system in batch design used in the PET washing line, enabling controlled tem- perature management and defined dwell times for efficient removal of labels, adhesives and organic residues Photo: Herbold Meckesheim The two SMS forced-feeding granulators installed in the first line ensure uniform flake size and stable material intake, creating optimal conditions for downstream washing and density separation processes Photo: Herbold Meckesheim Plast Echo08Industry newsI Fertilizer packaging with 35% PCR content Amcor and Belgian fertilizer producer De Ceuster Meststoffen NV (DCM) have introduced a new packaging solution for fertilizers based on mono-material polyethyl- ene (PE). The new structure replaces the previously used multi-material packaging that was not compatible with existing recycling streams. The film contains 35% post-consumer recycled (PCR) mate- rial and is used for packages ranging from 650 g to 7 kg. According to the companies, replacing virgin PE film with a version containing recycled content reduces the carbon footprint by about 17% in a cradle-to-gate comparison. The packaging structure combines machine-direction ori- ented polyethylene (MDO PE) with a sealant layer. The MDO layer provides mechanical strength and resistance to tearing and puncturing, while also limiting gas and mois- ture transmission. The sealing layer ensures tight closure of the pack and supports pack stability during handling and transport. The film also provides sufficient stiffness for smaller pack- ages to remain upright on store shelves. A glossy surface allows high-quality printing and improves product visibility in retail. The development reflects a broader shift in the packag- ing industry toward replacing multi-material laminates with mono-material structures compatible with existing recycling systems. At the same time, packaging producers are increasingly incorporating recycled content to meet sustainability targets and prepare for upcoming European regulations, including the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). ADVERTISEMENT International Edition 2026 09Plast EchoNext >