Plastic and rubber products

Stratum 1 · First transformations

Stratum 1 · First transformations

Plastic and rubber products

Converts polymer resins and natural and synthetic rubber into packaging, pipes, moulded parts, films, tyres, belts, hoses and seals for almost every other industry. The world made about 431 Mt of plastics in 2024, 34.5% of it in China and 57% in Asia as a whole (Plastics Europe data, as reported by AFP), and consumed about 15.4 Mt of natural rubber (ANRPC estimate). Resin and rubber supply is concentrated, while conversion is spread across many thousands of mostly small processors near customers.¹

India. India uses about 9% of the world's natural rubber and its tyre industry turns over about Rs 1 lakh crore a year, exporting Rs 25,051 crore in FY25, yet it imports about 40% of the natural rubber its tyre makers need²^,³. Plastics processing is fragmented, so branded pipe, packaging and moulding firms with scale and recycling capability are gaining share.

Depends on 0 of 35 industries · 0 directly Relied on by 26 industries, directly or indirectly Enterprise types 10 in 5 stages Chokepoints 0 rated 5 of 5 Size about 431 million tonnes of plastics produced (Plastics Europe data via AFP) 2024

Where ₹100 of plastic and rubber products output goes

Where ₹100 of plastic and rubber products output goes Every rupee of sales is paid out to someone along the chain. This splits ₹100 of output by who finally receives it, so you can see how exposed the industry is to commodity, chemical and energy prices. Commodities ₹10.9 Chemicals ₹7.1 Energy…

Price links with supplier industries

Price links with supplier industries How the industries this one buys from shape its prices: the share of its costs they make up, and how their prices have moved together. Tap a row for the charts. Hover or tap ? for what each measure means. Supplier industry Cost share Raw-material mix…

Follow one offering through the chain

Follow one offering through the chain 1 Example story · 6 steps · India A car tyre made in India Follow latex from a rubber tree and oil-derived black powder into a cured tyre, and on to recycling. 1 / 6 · Polymer and rubber feedstocks Latex from smallholdings 62% of rubber use grown at home…

Value chain, from upstream to the customer

Value chain, from upstream to the customer Criticality to the chain: 5 · Chokepoint 4 · Critical 3 · Important 2 · Supporting 1 · Commodity service Stage 1 Polymer and rubber feedstocks Petrochemical polymer producers 3 · Important Crack naphtha or ethane into olefins and polymerise them into…

What the whole chain draws on

What the whole chain draws on Every commodity, chemical and energy tile named by the enterprises above; ×n shows how many of them depend on it. Open any tile for its full detail. Commodities (10) Rbr Natural rubber ×3 St Steel ×3 H₂O Water ×2 Qz Silica sand ×2 Cu Copper REE Rare earths NaCl Salt…

Chokepoints and risks

Chokepoints and risks Natural rubber concentration: ANRPC members, mostly in South-East Asia, supply about 79% of output, and India imports about 40% of its tyre makers' needs 2 , 3 . Resin pricing follows crude oil, naphtha and Chinese capacity, which made 34.5% of global plastics in 2024 1 .…

Sources

Sources La production européenne de plastique au bord du gouffre (Plastics Europe annual data) AFP via Connaissance des Énergies, 2025 Natural rubber demand grows in 2024, signalling potential market recovery (ANRPC) European Rubber Journal, 2025 India's tyre export rises 9% to Rs 25,051 crore in…

Relationship cards

Waste and recycling: Plastic packaging and tyres end up as waste that recyclers turn back into resin, crumb rubber and fuel, and India's extended producer responsibility rules make producers pay for that recycling and, from 2025-26, use recycled plastic in their packaging. The rules turn a weak market link into a regulated one, but fake recycling certificates show that enforcement is the weak point. (researched)
Paper and packaging: Paper and plastic compete for the same packaging jobs and are also combined in laminates and cartons; India's 2022 ban on many single-use plastic items pushed brand owners towards paper, and prices of the two industries move closely together. (researched)
Natural rubber: Tyres and other vehicle parts take about 70% of India's natural rubber, but India grows only about 62% of what it uses, mostly in Kerala, so tyre makers import the gap from Southeast Asia and West Africa and back new planting in the North East. (researched)
Electrical equipment: Electrical equipment buys from Plastic and rubber products; plastic and rubber products buys from Electrical equipment; plastic and rubber products depends on electrical equipment; electrical equipment depends on plastic and rubber products.
Machinery and equipment: Machinery and equipment buys from Plastic and rubber products; plastic and rubber products buys from Machinery and equipment; plastic and rubber products depends on machinery and equipment; machinery and equipment depends on plastic and rubber products.
Textiles and leather: Textiles and leather buys from Plastic and rubber products; plastic and rubber products buys from Textiles and leather; plastic and rubber products depends on textiles and leather; textiles and leather depends on plastic and rubber products.
Aerospace and defence: Aerospace and defence buys from Plastic and rubber products; aerospace and defence depends on plastic and rubber products.
Apparel and footwear: Apparel and footwear buys from Plastic and rubber products; apparel and footwear depends on plastic and rubber products.
Building materials: Building materials buys from Plastic and rubber products; building materials depends on plastic and rubber products.
Computers and electronics: Computers and electronics buys from Plastic and rubber products; computers and electronics depends on plastic and rubber products.
Construction and infrastructure: Construction and infrastructure buys from Plastic and rubber products; construction and infrastructure depends on plastic and rubber products.
Food and beverage processing: Food and beverage processing buys from Plastic and rubber products; food and beverage processing depends on plastic and rubber products.
Furniture: Furniture buys from Plastic and rubber products; furniture depends on plastic and rubber products.
Household and personal care: Household and personal care buys from Plastic and rubber products; household and personal care depends on plastic and rubber products.
Medical devices: Medical devices buys from Plastic and rubber products; medical devices depends on plastic and rubber products.
Metal products: Plastic and rubber products buys from Metal products; plastic and rubber products depends on metal products.
Pharmaceuticals: Pharmaceuticals buys from Plastic and rubber products; pharmaceuticals depends on plastic and rubber products.
Semiconductors: Semiconductors buys from Plastic and rubber products; semiconductors depends on plastic and rubber products.
Telecommunications: Telecommunications buys from Plastic and rubber products; telecommunications depends on plastic and rubber products.
Transport and logistics: Plastic and rubber products buys from Transport and logistics; plastic and rubber products depends on transport and logistics.
Vehicles, ships, rail, aircraft: Vehicles, ships, rail, aircraft buys from Plastic and rubber products; vehicles, ships, rail, aircraft depends on plastic and rubber products.
Water and sanitation: Water and sanitation buys from Plastic and rubber products; water and sanitation depends on plastic and rubber products.
Acetic acid: Plastic and rubber products depends on acetic acid.
Adhesives and sealants: Plastic and rubber products depends on adhesives and sealants.
Ammonia: Plastic and rubber products depends on ammonia.
Biomass: Plastic and rubber products depends on biomass.
Boilers, furnaces and stoves: Plastic and rubber products depends on boilers, furnaces and stoves.
Butadiene: Plastic and rubber products depends on butadiene.
Carbon black: Plastic and rubber products depends on carbon black.
Caustic soda: Plastic and rubber products depends on caustic soda.
Chemical process catalysts: Plastic and rubber products depends on chemical process catalysts.
Copper: Plastic and rubber products depends on copper.
Crude oil: Plastic and rubber products depends on crude oil.
Distribution grids, mini-grids and interconnectors: Plastic and rubber products depends on distribution grids, mini-grids and interconnectors.
EPDM: Plastic and rubber products depends on EPDM.
Electric motors and drives: Plastic and rubber products depends on electric motors and drives.
Energy in buildings: Plastic and rubber products depends on energy in buildings.
Ethylene: Plastic and rubber products depends on ethylene.
Flame retardants: Plastic and rubber products depends on flame retardants.
Flare and off-gas recovery: Plastic and rubber products depends on flare and off-gas recovery.
Fluoropolymers (PTFE, PVDF): Plastic and rubber products depends on fluoropolymers (PTFE, PVDF).
Fungicides: Plastic and rubber products depends on fungicides.
High-density polyethylene: Plastic and rubber products depends on high-density polyethylene.
Monoethylene glycol: Plastic and rubber products depends on monoethylene glycol.
Muscle power: Plastic and rubber products depends on muscle power.
Natural gas: Plastic and rubber products depends on natural gas.
Nylon (PA6, PA66): Plastic and rubber products depends on nylon (PA6, PA66).
Organic pigments: Plastic and rubber products depends on organic pigments.
PET resin: Plastic and rubber products depends on PET resin.
PVC: Plastic and rubber products depends on PVC.
Plasticisers: Plastic and rubber products depends on plasticisers.
Polybutadiene rubber: Plastic and rubber products depends on polybutadiene rubber.
Polyester fibre: Plastic and rubber products depends on polyester fibre.
Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE): Plastic and rubber products depends on polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE).
Polymer additives: Plastic and rubber products depends on polymer additives.
Polypropylene: Plastic and rubber products depends on polypropylene.
Propylene: Plastic and rubber products depends on propylene.
Purified terephthalic acid: Plastic and rubber products depends on purified terephthalic acid.
Rare earths: Plastic and rubber products depends on rare earths.
Refining and reforming: Plastic and rubber products depends on refining and reforming.
Rubber chemicals: Plastic and rubber products depends on rubber chemicals.
Salt: Plastic and rubber products depends on salt.
Silica sand: Plastic and rubber products depends on silica sand.
Silicones: Plastic and rubber products depends on silicones.
Steel: Plastic and rubber products depends on steel.
Styrene: Plastic and rubber products depends on styrene.
Styrene-butadiene rubber: Plastic and rubber products depends on styrene-butadiene rubber.
Sulfur: Plastic and rubber products depends on sulfur.
Talc: Plastic and rubber products depends on talc.
Titanium dioxide: Plastic and rubber products depends on titanium dioxide.
Vinyl chloride monomer: Plastic and rubber products depends on vinyl chloride monomer.
Water: Plastic and rubber products depends on water.
Zinc: Plastic and rubber products depends on zinc.