The British environmental consultant ”Eunomia” and the climate and energy research group ”Zero Carbon Analytics” have stated that seven countries in the world produce two-thirds of common types of plastic.
What you should know
Data shows that in 2024, seven countries will produce two-thirds of the most common types of plastic.
The British environmental consultant "Eunomia" and the climate and energy research group "Zero Carbon Analytics" have stated that seven countries in the world produced two-thirds of common types of plastic. Among the countries that produce a lot of plastic, the data shows that China alone produces the amount of ordinary plastic produced by six countries.
184 countries of the world are trying to find a common ground in the negotiations of the first treaty to end the problem of plastic pollution in Geneva.
The Eunomia and Zero Carbon Analytics studies focus on the production of the most widely used pure product (virgin polymer). Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS) are commonly used in beverage bottles.
The study shows that China accounted for 34 percent, the United States for 13 percent, and Saudi Arabia for five percent of the production of the four major polymer plastics last year.
Similarly, South Korea is responsible for five percent, India four percent, Japan three percent and Germany two percent of polymer plastic production.
According to an old study by "Wood Mackenzie", a data provider in the energy sector, plastic production is concentrated in a group of large companies in the world, while some are concentrated in state ownership.
In 2021, only 18 companies in the world have produced more than half of the world's plastic polymers. According to Wood Mackenzie, the world's leading producer is China's state-owned China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec). Sinopec alone produces 5.4 percent of the world's plastic.
American oil and gas company ExxonMobil 5 percent, American multinational chemical company LyondellBasell 4.5 percent, oil company Saudi Aram 4.3 percent and PetroChina 4.2 percent of plastic production.
Major European producers are Britain's Enos in seventh place with 2.8 percent production, Austria's Borealis in 10th place with 2.3 percent production and France's TotalEnergies in 11th place with two percent production.
