Demand for plastic may grow in China due to foreign garbage ban

Almaty. September 14. Silkroadnews – Demand for plastic may grow in China due to foreign garbage ban, Reuters reported.
“China’s already soaring plastic demand may rise even further as the government plans to ban waste-plastic imports by the end of this year, which will curb domestic plastic recycling”, the report said.
Such expected increase in demand for plastics will become a consequence of China’s struggle with environmental pollution, as in July the world’s top importer of waste said it would stop importing garbage by the end of this year.
As expected, to compensate for the loss of recycled plastic, manufacturers and exporters of petroleum products to China from the Middle East, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore will receive more orders for such products as polyethylene and thermoplastic used in production of grocery bags, medical devices and even bullet-proof vests.
According to the agency, last year China imported 7.3 million tonnes of plastic waste, accounting for more than a half of the world’s leftover plastic.
Of these 7.3 million tonnes in 2016, polyethylene made about 2.53 million tonnes. This year this amount is expected to fall to 1.7-1.8 million tonnes. With this China’s demand for polyethylene is projected to grow by 6.6% from 2017 to 2018, outpacing Asia’s overall growth of 5.5%. The total demand for polyethylene in Asia in 2017 is forecasted to reach around 41.5 million tonnes, with China accounting for about two-thirds of total demand.
According to senior consultant at Frost & Sullivan for Asia Pacific, Nikhil Vallabhan, China’s position as a key Asian producer of disposable medical products will contribute to the country’s growing demand for polyethylene.
“Polyethylene makes up only about 9 percent of the total plastics used in medical devices because of its higher cost over competing plastic polyvinyl chloride. However, polyethylene demand for the devices is expected to increase in absolute terms.
"Polyethylene is only about 9% of the total volume of plastics used in medical products, because of its higher cost compared to plastic polyvinyl chloride. However, the demand for polyethylene is expected to grow in absolute terms. With countries and regions such as India and Southeast Asia being labeled as destinations for medical tourism, we could expect the demand for high quality medical devices to grow at a robust pace in the region”, agency quoted N.Vallabhan saying.