The plastics processing sector is holding its own in a complex environment where Spanish industry is suffering from a loss of European competitiveness, the consequences of the war in Iran, and the resulting price volatility. These are the main conclusions of the open conference held by ANAIP on May 21st after his 81th General Assembly at the Eduardo Torroja Institute in Madrid.
The meeting began at 10:30 a.m. with the private part of the meeting, exclusively for ANAIP members, in which the main milestones of the entity for 2025 and the strategic lines for 2026 were reviewed.
The open day began at 12:30. Under the title Industry competitiveness and the international context, was inaugurated by Alejandro Tortosa, Technical advisor in the General Sub-Directorate of Strategy and Industrial Ecosystems of the Ministry of Industry and TourismIn his speech, Tortosa emphasized that industry is essential for fostering strategic autonomy. “We come from a time when industrial policy didn't exist, but now the EU has realized its importance,” he stated. “Competitiveness must be an objective of European industrial policy, which must also influence other policies, such as environmental and economic ones.”
Following her intervention, the Isabel Goyena, Director General of ANAIP Isabel Goyena presented data on the plastics processing sector from the latest report prepared by the association in collaboration with the specialized consultancy DeepView4P. The report shows the sector's job recovery in 2024, exceeding 82.400 workers, but also highlights a structural problem: “Since 2020, imports of products from countries outside Europe have increased significantly; there is a clear relocation of industry. From 2021 onwards, imports skyrocketed, and the forecast is that they will continue to grow,” explains Goyena.
The ANAIP study also analyzes the specific case of stretch film, one of the products most affected by the introduction of the tax on non-reusable plastic packaging. “Due to the effect of the tax, imports of film have tripled since 2023, especially from three countries: Brazil, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.”
“It is clear that imports pose the greatest risk to our sector,” concluded the director of ANAIP, who went a step further in her diagnosis: “Without a strong industry in Spain and solid local demand, a true circular economy for plastics cannot exist.”
The last speaker was Alvaro Schweinfurth, Deputy director of the international and multilateral organizations department of CEOESchweinfurth broadened the focus and spoke about international trade in the current context. “In the 90s and 2000s, we were all convinced that world trade would be governed by global rules and that conflicts would be resolved between companies themselves or through the mediation of international organizations such as the World Trade Organization. Now we are in a different stage,” Schweinfurth explained, “one in which unilateralism and imperialism prevail.”
In this context, he stated, the European Union is changing its strategy "to diversify trade and promote alternative supply chains that are more resilient and subject to rules that guarantee supply."
El President of ANAIP, Luis RodrigoHe was responsible for closing the meeting, emphasizing the versatility of plastic products and their necessity for our society: “The world isn't going to stop consuming plastic products; the question is whether we will manufacture them here or if we will end up depending on their production in other continents. If Europe stops producing these materials and products, their manufacture will move to countries with less demanding environmental standards and a larger carbon footprint, both due to the manufacturing processes and the subsequent transport of the products to Europe. Furthermore, this industrial relocation will mean the loss of quality jobs and a severe blow to many areas of rural Spain where the plastics industry continues to be an economic and social engine.”
