20% CHEAPER REFRIGERATORS WITH PLASTICS

Consumers saved ₺2.5 billion on white appliances

Convenient electrical household appliances and consumer electronics continue to be indispensable parts of our lives with their innovative features and designs. Plastics undertake a substantial part in the success as this market grows day by day. In 2014, electrical household appliances contained 4 kg of plastics per product, taking a 40 percent share from the sector. Refrigerators contain 100 percent more plastics compared to the past. Today, housings of the vacuum cleaners are made completely out of plastics. Refrigerators are 20 percent and vacuum cleaners are 35 percent cheaper thanks to plastics. Consumers save ₺1.4 billion on spending for refrigerators in particular, totaling around ₺2.5 billion for all white appliances. Based on the role of plastics in electrical household appliances and white appliances, PAGEV highlighted the latest advancements in the sector during the 10th Turkish Plastics Industry Congress.

Organized by the Turkish Plastics Industry Foundation (PAGEV) every year, the Turkish Plastics Industry Congress took place at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel on the main theme of "Plastics in Electrical Household Appliances and Consumer Electronics". Every aspect of the advantages of using plastics in electrical-electronics industry and the latest technological industrial advancements were discussed the congress.

Capable of producing 25 million white appliances per year, Turkey has become the largest production base in Europe. The Turkish white appliances sector generates foreign trade surplus, 70 percent of raw materials being domestically acquired. Turkey has a significant position in both plastics and white appliances. Turkey is the second largest plastics producer in Europe while it is the largest in white appliances. Plastics has become the favorite material in electrical household appliances and the consumer electronics industry, generating an annual growth rate of 29.5 percent.

Increasing its market share by 10 percent every year, electrical-electronic products made out of plastic materials are noteworthy for a lot of advantages including electrical and heat insulation, lightness, design flexibility, durability, energy efficiency and recyclability. Turkish and foreign industry specialists, representatives and academics united to discuss the latest innovations in electrical household appliances and consumer electronics, the relationship between the white appliances sector and plastics, market trends for consumer technology in Turkey and the world, the role of plastics in saving energy and carbon emissions, as well as innovative designs and emerging trends. White appliance manufacturers like Arçelik, Vestel, BSH, small electrical household appliance manufacturers like Arzum, Arnica, industrial design gurus, and domestic and foreign raw material and machinery manufacturers delivered speeches in the congress.

Speakers gave examples of how innovative designs, new trends, research and development, and technological advancements create premium and highly energy-efficient products, and introduced successful efforts to develop energy-saver, eco-friendly white appliances, as is in every sector. Specialists highlighted that demand for more energy-efficient and eco-friendly white appliances has increased, and added that producers focus on meeting expectations imposed by EU and national technical legislations. Also, they demonstrated via case analyses that thanks to their performance, the use of plastics in electrical household appliances will increase in Turkey and all over the world, and plastics will shape the future of this industry.

Yavuz Eroğlu, the Chairman of the Executive Board of PAGEV, explaining the importance of the 10th version of this congress for plastics industry, said "Turkish plastics industry is the second largest in Europe and seventh largest in the world. The main theme of our congress is electrical-electronic plastic materials, constituting ten percent of our total production. Figures clearly demonstrate the advantages of plastics for this sector. White appliances are now cheaper than ever thanks to the plastic-intensive production. Many luxury products that low-end consumers could not afford are not luxury any more with the magic of plastics. White appliances that were made of metal and glass can now be produced using cheap and lightweight plastics. Lightweight products save natural resources and carbon emissions and provide energy efficiency, protecting the environment. Refrigerators contain 100 percent more plastics. Housings of the vacuum cleaners are made completely out of plastics and are 50 percent lighter than ever."

Stating that electrical household appliances and consumer electronics is a growing and developing market, Eroğlu said "We are amazed with the innovative designs and the state-of-the-art technologies. The plastics industry reinvents itself to keep up with the time. We are glad to contribute to the success of such an important market that plays for leadership in Europe".

Plastics in the Electrical-Electronics Sector...

- 620 Turkish companies produce plastic materials for electrical-electronic household appliances.

- 10 percent of the total plastics production is consumed in the electrical-electronics sector.

- Electrical-electronic plastic materials production increased by 10 percent in average between 2001 – 2014.

- The production volume of electrical-electronic plastic materials increased from 252 thousand tonnes in 2001 to 823 thousand tons in 2014 due to the rapid increase in white appliance production and export. Production is predicted to amount to 837 thousand tonnes by 2015.

- Electrical household appliances produced in 2014 contained 4 kg of plastics per product.

- Plastic raw materials used for electrical household appliances are 80% PP, 14% PE and 6% PVC.

Mainly sponsored by PAGÇEV and Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters' Association (IKMIB), Engel, TSP, LANXESS and Boykan were among other sponsors of this edition of PAGEV Plastics Industry Congress. Cooperating organizations were White Goods Manufacturers’ Association, Industrial Designers' Society, Glasswares Foundation, and Small Household Appliances Industrial and Exporters' Foundation of Turkey.