Organized by the European Polymer Federation (EPF), the Polish Chemical Society, and in collaboration with the Technical University of Szczecin, the 7th biennial EPF Symposium was held in September 1998 in Szczecin, Poland, and focused on "Polymers Friendly for the Environment". Scientists from thirty countries presented fundamental, as well as application-oriented research on environmentally-safe methods of polymer synthesis, processing, application and recycling.