Plastic materials have been a growth success story over the past 50 years with all polymer types and all world regions seeing their usage grow. We anticipate that this forward  momentum will continue in the future, but the industry will increasingly face challenges which will dampen demand. The main factors are relative maturity in developed markets such as  Europe and North America, where many of the opportunities for growth already have a high level of penetration.

However, the industry does face unprecedented challenges beside relative maturity. In particular, the  pressure of the circular economy and the discussion around sustainability have placed plastics as the  enemy compared with traditional materials. It may well be that this perception is false, but in a world where the discussion is based on emotions rather than scientific fact, the medium-term future will mean growth  opportunities are harder to find.

That being said, the Covid-19 pandemic may have reminded many commentators about the value which  plastics give in most applications. The likely conclusions is that specifiers will be increasingly called upon to justify their material choices.

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