Fuelling Europe’s Economy
Epoxy resins find their largest consumers in the construction sector, accounting for 29% of total production. Energy follows closely, utilising 25% of all epoxies manufactured. Meanwhile, transport, home, leisure, ICT, medical, food, and water sectors all benefit from the remarkable properties of epoxy resins, amounting to a total European market sales of approximately €1,055 million.
The European epoxy industry employs over 2,600 full-time workers. Their factories invest nearly €57 million in research and development activities, collaborating with academic institutions to drive product innovation and assess environmental impacts.
Members of Epoxy Europe manufacture about 323,000 tonnes of epoxy resins per year.[1] Overall sales amount to around €1,055 million on European markets, led by Germany (101,000 tonnes or 31% of all sales), France and the United Kingdom (8,000 tonnes or 2%), Spain (6,000 tonnes or 9%), the Netherlands (6,000 tonnes or 2%) and others.
Energising Key Application Sectors
01
Energy and Electrical
Playing a pivotal role in the wind turbine market, epoxies empower the production of strong, durable, and lightweight turbine blades, bolstering Europe’s renewable energy production and export capabilities. Additionally, epoxies contribute to reliable energy distribution systems, reducing costs and waste while ensuring long-lasting components.
02
Construction
Epoxy resins enable many internal and external construction activities. European businesses benefit from easy-to-clean flooring and affordable mechanical fixings, fostering flexibility and reducing initial costs and maintenance.
03
Transport
Embracing cathodic electrodeposition (CED), epoxies prolong the life of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, providing resistance to deterioration and rust. For vehicles’ interior parts, epoxy-based composites reduce weight, increase strength, and lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Epoxy resins also find applications in railways, boats, and the aircraft industry, enhancing durability, efficiency, and reliability while reducing overall weight and CO2 emissions.
04
Food and Water
Epoxy coatings line the interior and exterior of food cans, preventing corrosion and extending shelf-life, leading to reduced food waste and stabilised prices. In food processing machines, epoxies maintain hygiene standards, improve durability, and lower maintenance costs, ensuring the safety of the machines and the food they handle.
05
Home and Leisure
From sports kits to repair sealants, adhesives, and mortars, epoxy resins work their magic, reducing weight, extending product lifetime, and creating robust and resilient repair joints.
Did you know?
Many sectors would be affected if regulation authorities decided to ban, phase out or limit constituent substances of epoxies such as bisphenol A (BPA). Epoxy resins would be replaced by more expensive and lower-performing alternatives which have not yet been tested as extensively as BPA for potential health and environmental hazards.