Global Primary Plastic Production

Primary plastics refer to the first-time production of plastic materials from raw resources, such as petroleum and natural gas. This metric is important as it offers insights into the scale of the plastics industry and our reliance on these materials. An increasing trend in this metric may indicate growing global demand for plastic products, which has implications for environmental pollution, waste management, and resource consumption. Conversely, a decreasing trend could reflect successful efforts to reduce plastic production, perhaps due to an increase in recycling (secondary plastic production) or a shift towards alternative materials.