Page 52 - Plastics News January 2017
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS 10
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Changes to NAFTA may hurt US New poll reveals that many
more than Mexico, consultant Americans are confused about
warns recycling
U.S. companies would be hit harder than their Mexican When it comes to plastics, it seems that people
counterparts if Donald Trump attempted to impose largely believe falsehoods and distrust the
special import tariffs on truth. The results of a new poll from the Institute
plastic resins and finished of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI; Washington, DC)
goods from Mexico once in
the White House, a leading and conducted online by the Harris Poll (Rochester,
industry consultant said NY) show that U.S. adults do not accept common
Dec. 14. In a 90-minute, statements made about the recycling industry to be
Trump-related internet true. When presented with a series of statements—four
conference call, Eduardo of which were true and four false—and asked if each
de la Tijera Coeto said was believable, more than half of the respondents in
Mexico imported 71 percent of the $16 billion worth of every case chose not to believe the statement. The
resins and plastic products traded between the United true statements, however, were shown to be more
States and Mexico from January through September 2016. believable than those that were false by people taking
“Mexico’s exports to the United States totaled $4.7 billion the poll, said ISRI.
[in that time] and some of those were from companies
with U.S. capital,” he said adding, in Spanish: “If tariffs The success of recycling, particularly of plastics,
on resins and plastic products from Mexico were imposed, depends in large part on the cooperation of consumers
Mexico would be justified in adopting similar measures to ensure that plastic recycling is done successfully and
and opening the Mexican market to products from other profitably to get the best use out of plastic scrap. Yet,
regions. U.S. companies would be worse hit.” Mexico, he if the general public is skeptical about the benefits of
added, has free trade agreements with 60 countries, 21 recycling, achieving that level of cooperation might
of them in the Americas, compared to the United States’s be difficult, making recycling less than successful.
20 across the world.
Robin Wiener, president of ISRI, noted how much
He believed it unlikely that Trump would make good effort the recycling industry has put into fighting back
on an election campaign promise and impose such “against public misperceptions about the value of
tariffs. A founding partner and CEO of Mexico City recycling. The data from this poll shows that we have
consulting company Grupo Texne, De la Tijera is a former been successful in combating those myths.”
president of Mexico’s plastics industry association Anipac
(Asociación Nacional de Industrias del Plástico AC). “It I suppose that “success” is in the eye of the beholder.
has benefited industry, workers and households,” he Respondents were provided with eight statements—
said. “To do away with NAFTA would affect all [of these four true and four false—and were asked if they
sectors].” But De la Tijera accepted that a revision believed each statement to be true. Seventy-three
of NAFTA is “almost inescapable” and he warned that percent believed at least one of the true statements,
Mexico’s plastics industry cannot leave it to the Mexican while 22% believed at least one myth to be true.
government alone to face up to the so-called Trump
Effect. “There will be an impact on several fronts,
including plastics,” he said, urging the national industry
to be pro-active and united.
• January 2017 • Plastics News 52
