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MARKETS
MARKETS US market for speciality plastic additives forecast to grow at 6.6%/year
D
emand for speciality plastic additives in the USA is forecast to grow by 4.5% annually, from 3.2 billion lb (1.45 million tonnes) in 2012 to 4.0 billion lb in 2017 as the key construction sector rebounds. In value terms, the market will grow at 6.6%/year to US$7.3 billion in 2017, according to a new industry study from Freedonia, Specialty Plastic Additives. Advances will be fuelled by an improved macroeconomic climate, which will boost overall demand for plastics in a number of markets, the study observes. In particular, more than two-thirds of the new demand for plastic additives is expected to come from the US construction market as it bounces back following the severe declines of the recession-hit period in 2007–2012. The ability of additives to enhance the performance properties of plastic resins, ‘thus making them more competitive with alternative materials in a widening array of applications’, will continue to drive their use throughout the forecast period, Freedonia says. The report covers plasticizers, protective additives (flame retardants, antioxidants, heat and light stabilizers, and antimicrobials), property modifiers (impact modifiers, colorants, chemical blowing agents, antistatic agents and antifogging agents) and processing aids (lubricants and mould release agents, slip agents, compatibilizers and coupling agents, and antiblocking agents). Processing aids and property modifiers are expected to be the fastest-growing types over the next few years. In 2017, plasticizers are expected to account for 47% by volume of the total US market for speciality additives, with protective additives taking a 27% share, property modifier 16% and processing aids 10%. The outlook for the large plasticizers segment is closely linked to that for flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which accounts for the vast majority of demand. Phthalates will continue to dominate the plasticizers market but the report anticipates more rapid gains for non-phthalate types due to health and environmental concerns. These concerns are spurring the phase-out of the controversial lower molecular weight phthalate plasticizers in favour of higher molecular weight alternatives and phthalate-free formulations.
10
Additives for Polymers
Among the protective additives, flame retardants dominate in volume terms and are projected to offer the best growth prospects, because of their use in construction products and related industries such as wire and cable. Product mix is shifting towards non-halogenated products. Heat stabilizers and antioxidants are also expected to do well during the forecast period. In the property modifiers segment, impact modifiers are the largest and fastest-growing product type. These additives are chiefly employed in rigid PVC construction products and will therefore benefit from the anticipated turnaround in construction spending until 2017. This recovery will also benefit colorants used in wood-plastic composite lumber and chemical blowing agents used in PVC decking, moulding and trim. Specialty Plastic Additives (Study # 3016) has 297 pages and is available in pdf format priced at $4900. Contact: The Freedonia Group, Inc, Cleveland, OH, USA. Tel: +1 440 684 9600, Web: www.freedoniagroup.com
Plastic packaging provides growth opportunities for functional additives
A
ccording to a new publication from Smithers Pira, global demand for functional additives in plastic packaging is growing at a faster rate than the market for plastic packaging itself. The search by converters for lower-cost solutions, which additives can provide, together with the continuous replacement of traditional packaging materials by plastics are driving this growth in demand. The new market forecast considers additives alongside barrier coatings for plastic packaging and predicts that the combined value of these two sectors will be US$2.8 billion in 2013, rising to $3.7 billion by 2018. Demand is rapidly increasing for packaging materials that give even greater protection to their contents, Smithers Pira observes. As the use of plastics in packaging applications increases, concerns have arisen about their ability to allow the exchange of gases and vapours that can compromise the quality and safety of the packaged products, it says. To meet this demand, a variety of functional additives and barrier technologies have been developed and commercialized. These technologies not only optimize product shelf-life, but also reduce
July 2013
MARKETS US market for speciality plastic additives forecast to grow at 6.6%/year
D
emand for speciality plastic additives in the USA is forecast to grow by 4.5% annually, from 3.2 billion lb (1.45 million tonnes) in 2012 to 4.0 billion lb in 2017 as the key construction sector rebounds. In value terms, the market will grow at 6.6%/year to US$7.3 billion in 2017, according to a new industry study from Freedonia, Specialty Plastic Additives. Advances will be fuelled by an improved macroeconomic climate, which will boost overall demand for plastics in a number of markets, the study observes. In particular, more than two-thirds of the new demand for plastic additives is expected to come from the US construction market as it bounces back following the severe declines of the recession-hit period in 2007–2012. The ability of additives to enhance the performance properties of plastic resins, ‘thus making them more competitive with alternative materials in a widening array of applications’, will continue to drive their use throughout the forecast period, Freedonia says. The report covers plasticizers, protective additives (flame retardants, antioxidants, heat and light stabilizers, and antimicrobials), property modifiers (impact modifiers, colorants, chemical blowing agents, antistatic agents and antifogging agents) and processing aids (lubricants and mould release agents, slip agents, compatibilizers and coupling agents, and antiblocking agents). Processing aids and property modifiers are expected to be the fastest-growing types over the next few years. In 2017, plasticizers are expected to account for 47% by volume of the total US market for speciality additives, with protective additives taking a 27% share, property modifier 16% and processing aids 10%. The outlook for the large plasticizers segment is closely linked to that for flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which accounts for the vast majority of demand. Phthalates will continue to dominate the plasticizers market but the report anticipates more rapid gains for non-phthalate types due to health and environmental concerns. These concerns are spurring the phase-out of the controversial lower molecular weight phthalate plasticizers in favour of higher molecular weight alternatives and phthalate-free formulations.
10
Additives for Polymers
Among the protective additives, flame retardants dominate in volume terms and are projected to offer the best growth prospects, because of their use in construction products and related industries such as wire and cable. Product mix is shifting towards non-halogenated products. Heat stabilizers and antioxidants are also expected to do well during the forecast period. In the property modifiers segment, impact modifiers are the largest and fastest-growing product type. These additives are chiefly employed in rigid PVC construction products and will therefore benefit from the anticipated turnaround in construction spending until 2017. This recovery will also benefit colorants used in wood-plastic composite lumber and chemical blowing agents used in PVC decking, moulding and trim. Specialty Plastic Additives (Study # 3016) has 297 pages and is available in pdf format priced at $4900. Contact: The Freedonia Group, Inc, Cleveland, OH, USA. Tel: +1 440 684 9600, Web: www.freedoniagroup.com
Plastic packaging provides growth opportunities for functional additives
A
ccording to a new publication from Smithers Pira, global demand for functional additives in plastic packaging is growing at a faster rate than the market for plastic packaging itself. The search by converters for lower-cost solutions, which additives can provide, together with the continuous replacement of traditional packaging materials by plastics are driving this growth in demand. The new market forecast considers additives alongside barrier coatings for plastic packaging and predicts that the combined value of these two sectors will be US$2.8 billion in 2013, rising to $3.7 billion by 2018. Demand is rapidly increasing for packaging materials that give even greater protection to their contents, Smithers Pira observes. As the use of plastics in packaging applications increases, concerns have arisen about their ability to allow the exchange of gases and vapours that can compromise the quality and safety of the packaged products, it says. To meet this demand, a variety of functional additives and barrier technologies have been developed and commercialized. These technologies not only optimize product shelf-life, but also reduce
July 2013