The Valencian industry invoice 150,000 MPtas in plastics

The Valencian Community has an important centre of industries processing and type of plastic, which is the second in importance of Spain, behind Catalonia. Valencia's traditional industries of toys, footwear, furniture and carpets, characteristics of the Spanish Levante, have generated the need to manufacture and recycle plastic products for years. ANAIP estimated that in the community, plastics represent a turnover of 150,000 MPtas last year.

Plastics in the Valencian Community sector invoiced last year 150,000 MPtas, approximately 50,000 MPtas more than three years, according to estimates recently made by the Spanish Confederation of entrepreneurs of plastics (ANAIP). Valencian plastics industry is a strong contribution to the economy of the community, since it represents 20% of the whole of consumption, production and processing of plastics in the country, according to studies of ANAIP service.

To this billing you must add the important ability of recycling of the Valencian Community. According to the National Association of recyclers of plastic (Anarpla), in the Valencian Community there are a total of 24 type companies, with a capacity of recycling of 50.275 tonnes per year in 1995. The total capacity of recycling in Spain is 242,000 tonnes per year, which means that the Valencian Community brings together 25% of the Spanish recycling companies. In fact, three-quarters of the recycling of Spain companies are concentrated between Catalonia and the Valencian Community.

Production exceeding consumption

The Valencian Community transforms more plastic that consumes, selling both to the rest of Spain and abroad. The industry of the area turned a total of 490,000 T in 1995 and estimated that the consumption of plastics 263.000 T, according to ANAIP. In addition, the Confederation asgura that "the sector has an unlimited technological capacity for the production and further processing of plastics".

In the Valencian Community in the construction sector consumed last year a total of 55,000 tons of material, furniture 40,000 T, 30,000 T toy industry and the automotive sector a total of 24,000 tons of plasticsAccording to data provided by ANAIP. While 35% of the total number of people employed by the plastics processing industry is located in Catalonia, Valencian Community focuses 13.5% of the industries, being the second zone in importance of Spain. In total, according to ANAIP, in the Valencian Community were employed 8.358 people at the end of 1995.

Figure 1 The Valencian Community has large number of foremost companies of plastics. Many specific products with recycled plastic material, such as, for example, the public Bank of this photograph can be manufactured.

If transformation and recycled Valencian industry is very important in relation to other areas of Spain, the production of machinery for plastics and plastics production is something lower, proportional to the Spanish average.

The industrial tradition

The importance of the processing industry and recicladora Valencian is due to the existence of numerous industries in the region since antiquity. Industries as specific as that of footwear, furniture, ceramics, or toys have formed an industrial fabric that is very important and that requires both plastics as auxiliary material and features or, as in the predominant material, clear toys case.

This Valencian industrial tradition also explains the existence of recyclers, as is the case in Catalonia. Important recycling industry owes its existence to the lack of plastic material in the 1960s and 1970s and not to the current environmental pressure. It is the shortage of raw materials and high prices of the autarchic period that led to that, from the outset, is to take advantage to maximize resources and not leak raw.

That the majority of type companies are located in Catalonia and Valencia has nothing strange if you consider this historical analysis and is on the basis that the majority of the Spanish industries were located on the Mediterranean coast. Another Spanish industrial area par excellence, the Basque country, was engaged to produce steel and machinery mainly, that they do not require both plastics and why there is so many recycling companies.

Lluís Alonso