1. Complementary plastics for the packaging market

1.1 Polymers used in packaging in France

Plastics are a chemical family of different polymers, sometimes referred to as "resins". Packaging uses mainly thermoplastics, i.e. polymers which, under the action of heat, melt or soften sufficiently to be shaped repeatedly over time. This characteristic of thermoplastics is essential, as it makes it possible to mechanically recycle packaging at the end of its life cycle, and thus to produce recycled plastics.

The European plastics industry estimates that in 2012, 288 million tonnes...