Europe refined consumption

The gradual reduction and ultimate elimination of lead has seen considerable effort by the refiner to maintain the octane numbers at satisfactory levels. In Europe, the conventional unleaded motor fuel, Eurosuper, should have a minimum RON of 95 and a minimum MON of 85. These values were set in 1983 as the result of a technical-economic study called RUFIT (Rational Utilization of Fuels in Private Transport). A compromise was then possible between refining energy expenses and vehicle fuel consumption (Anon., 1983). 

In 1995, the EU commissioned Maurice Palmer Associates (MPA) to undertake a survey of packaging of foodstuffs across Europe. They primarily focused on the UK and Italy, but the data were not correlated with foodstuff consumption. The data collected from the UK and Italy were extrapolated to the remaining 15 EU Member States, but because many assumptions were necessary, the confidence in the results varied from about 60% for Ireland, Einland and Sweden to a high of 90% for the UK market (ILSI 1996). MPA concluded that the different databases for food packaging materials for 15 EU Member States had a considerable amount of detailed information and probably contained far more detail than would be needed to derive food consumption factors, although the information could if necessary be refined on a country by country market share or packaging type basis. It is believed that this data has not been put to many, if any, uses to date as far as packaging of foodstuffs consumed is concerned. 

Fig. 1.2 Production and consumption of chemicals - Western Europe, 1998 Includes pulp and paper, mining, electronics, textiles and refining Apparent consumption (USD 385 billion) = production (USD 431 billion) - net trade balance (USD 46 billion) Source CEFIC - Facts and Figures, 1999...

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