Plastic and rubber products: Chokepoints and risks
Converters moulding resins and rubber into packaging, pipes, films, tyres and seals
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' needs2,3.
- Resin pricing follows crude oil, naphtha and Chinese capacity, which made 34.5% of global plastics in 20241.
- Regulation: single-use plastic bans, EPR targets and a possible UN plastics treaty can cut demand for some products.
- Margin squeeze for small converters who cannot pass on resin price swings.
- Disease and weather such as leaf fall and monsoon floods can cut rubber output for seasons.