Industry body ECVM estimates 3% growth over the next few years

The fortunes of the European PVC industry began to turn this year according to Jean-Pierre De Grиve, executive director of the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM), which represents PVC producers.

“For the next three or four months, we do not expect any major decrease in PVC prices because of limited ethylene availability,” he said. ECVM believes that business volumes were up by 4-5% last year compared with 1-1.5% growth in 2003. Market growth averaged just 0.5-1.5% over the last five years.

During the next few years it sees PVC demand in western Europe growing at around 3% per annum. “Growth in central and eastern Europe will be higher than in western Europe, but somewhat lower than we have seen in recent years,” he added.