Highlights
APIP highlights decarbonization of the plastics industry on RTP2's Civil Society program
The transition to carbon neutrality requires a profound transformation of all sectors, particularly those that are most intensive in energy and raw materials, in order to meet national and European climate targets. This was one of the topics highlighted in the program “Sociedade Civil” (Civil Society), broadcast on RTP2, with the participation of Nuno Aguiar, Technical Director of APIP.
The plastics industry in Portugal is aware of this challenge and has been developing a consistent climate transition path, aligned with European decarbonization and sustainability goals. Decarbonizing the sector is now more than an option: it is a strategic, economic, and environmental condition for ensuring future competitiveness.
In this context, the Roadmap for the Decarbonization of the Plastics Industry (RDIP) was presented, a support tool developed by APIP in partnership with EY, within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). The RDIP had a multidisciplinary Advisory Board, bringing together experts from the fields of climate, energy, engineering, academia, and public policy, who were essential for validating the scenarios and methodologies associated with this transition path.
With a horizon of 2050, the roadmap identifies concrete solutions such as increasing energy efficiency, electrifying industrial processes, promoting the circular economy, and using alternative fuels and raw materials. These measures aim to reduce the sector's carbon intensity while strengthening innovation and industrial resilience.
However, significant challenges remain that require a coordinated response: the technological maturity of some solutions, energy costs, the complexity and predictability of the regulatory framework, the reduction of scope 3 emissions throughout the value chain, and the need to safeguard the competitiveness and innovation capacity of companies.
The circular economy plays an absolutely central role in the decarbonization of the plastics industry. The recycling and recovery of plastic waste increasingly depend on consumer contribution, behavioral change, and the efficiency of collection, sorting, and treatment systems, making it essential to implement new, more effective, and integrated management models.
In a context of intensifying climate challenges, action requires joint and sustained work based on a global and long-term vision, where all economic sectors actively participate in building a more sustainable and carbon-neutral economy.
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