Graeme Craig, Senior Industrial Issues Executive at the British Plastics Federation (BPF), explores the current challenges faced by rotomoulders, including PE prices, cyber risk and high tariffs, while outlining the BPF’s plans to improve them.
BPF
What are the biggest challenges to rotomoulders as we head towards 2026? The BPF aims to address this topic in meetings, conferences and discussions with our members.
They suggest that a key theme is PE prices. In the current ethylene markets, pricing is volatile amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and evolving rationalisation. Producers have been maintaining low cracker run rates at around 75% (the global peak was 90% in 2015), primarily to meet contractual commitments and avoid oversupplying the markets.
Defining how this may play out for the rest of the year is enormously challenging. We can expect the flow of imports into Europe to continue, adding to oversupply in the market and requiring European producers to compete. We also expect rationalisation; producers will continue assessing the viability of their positions in Europe, both in PP and C3.
Another crucial topic not just for rotomoulders but for the entire plastics industry is ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance). This set of standards measures a business’s impact on society, the environment and how transparent and accountable it is. According to the Confederation of British Industry, two-thirds of investors take ESG factors into account when investing in a company. The BPF’s ESG Guidance will be released later in the year and will outline what needs to be done by law, who needs to report what, reporting principles, how to produce reports and the business benefits.
A major threat to all is cyber risk. At a recent BPF’s Rotational Moulding Group meeting, members learnt from cyber security experts, Willis Towers Watson (WTW), that 65% of manufacturing companies had been hit by ransomware in 2024, with 75% of those events resulting in data encryption.
WTW presented a detailed breakdown of the risks and how businesses of every size can protect themselves against the threat. But this inevitably comes at a cost. At a time of increased business pressures, rising costs and ever-evolving policy compliance requirements, manufacturing is a tough game, and the resilience of rotational moulders is being tested to the limit. We, the BPF, are seeing increased levels of engagement and demand for additional support now more than ever.
On September 25th, we’ll host the annual rotational moulding conference in Coventry. The rotomoulding industry will gather to discuss the current issues, with the impact of tariffs high on the agenda. Though by no means the most vulnerable sector within the plastics industry, rotomoulding is a global enterprise where export is key. The question is: what impact will the tariffs have and for how long?
Another key theme for the BPF in 2025 is productivity. Productivity across the UK plastics sector is low, and the BPF aims to improve this. Our guide – ‘Equipment Effectiveness Part II: Rotational Moulding’ – will be discussed at the event.
Among the headline issues of tariffs, productivity and the future, the technical challenges with rotational moulding remain crucial. Our event will look at cycle times, functional surfaces in advanced coatings and RFID technology as these represent the sector’s biggest hurdles.