Plastics Europe, European trade association for plastics manufacturers has today announced the appointment of Marco ten Bruggencate, Commercial Vice President for Packaging and Specialty Plastics EMEA at Dow, as its President, effective immediately. He succeeds Dr Markus Steilemann, CEO of Covestro.
During his two-year mandate, Dr Steilemann endorsed increased efforts to reduce pellet loss in the environment with the launch of the European Operation Clean Sweep certification scheme, a collaborative initiative with the plastics value chain. He also commissioned the independent study, “ReShaping Plastics: Pathways to a Circular, Climate Neutral Plastics System in Europe”, and oversaw the launch of a new visual identity and website, with sustainability at its core, which better reflects the fundamental changes taking place within both the industry and Plastics Europe.
Marco ten Bruggencate, who joined Dow in 2000, will continue to drive Plastics Europe’s and its members’ ambitious sustainability agenda in line with the European Union’s Green Deal and climate- neutrality goals. He congratulated his predecessor for the crucial role he played in supporting the industry’s transition towards net zero carbon emissions and circularity, which included promoting bolder policy positions, such as the call for a mandatory EU recycled content target for plastics packaging of 30% by 2030. He went on to say he was proud to be taking on this new responsibility. “We are under no illusions about the scale and complexity of our industry’s transition and recognise the critical. We do not control all the various levers for this transition, and we do not have all the answers to the challenges we and the wider plastics system face. Collaboration with all stakeholders will be key."
Ten Bruggencate is also a vocal advocate for inclusion and diversity and is Co-Chair of Dow’s Women’s Inclusion Network and Executive Sponsor of the Disability Employee Network in EMEAI.