The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemical Association (GPCA) has signed a deal with the Society of Plastics Engineers to launch an industry and community education campaign to improve understanding of the plastics sector.

The MoU was signed in Dubai by Dr Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, the secretary general of the GPCA, and Jim Griffing, the president of Society of Plastics Engineers.

The co-operation is aimed at highlighting the socio-economic benefits of the plastics industry and achieving a wider understanding of the plastics industry more generally.

“The GPCA and SPE believe in the importance of plastics and their positive contribution to society, which includes job creation and skills development across the Arabian Gulf Region,” remarked Dr Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun.

“The region’s most important export is oil and gas, and by bolstering the plastics industry through training and knowledge transfer, we will maximize the value of this crucial export,” he stated.

According to him, the educational campaign will also challenge common misperceptions of plastics, in particular those relating to its environmental impact.

"Various initiatives will see the two organizations reach out to local communities to highlight the opportunities the plastics industry offers, as well as the Gulf’s emergence as a global hub for the plastics sector. With the Middle East industry seeing 8.5 per cent annual growth, conditions are right for the local plastics industry to experience further rapid development, he added.

Wim De Vos, the CEO of Society of Plastics Engineers, pointed out that the Gulf region had a strong and growing plastics industry.

As the largest network in the Plastics world, society is excited to be working with GPCA to provide world class plastics awareness, education and conferencing support," he added.-TradeArabia News Service