By John Richardson AUTOMOBILES are, of course, a key end-use market for chemicals and polymers and China has been by far the most important global market in autos since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Chinese total vehicles sales soared from 6.3m in 2007 to 24.7m last year. Meanwhile, analysis from Paul Hodges shows that sales […]
Asian Chemical Connections
China Doing “More With Less” In Steel And Plastics
By John Richardson CHINA is still a poor country relative to the West and here is why: Average per capita annual urban incomes in 2013 were just Rmb29547 ($4769), according to official government statistics. Average per capita rural incomes were only $1276, again according to the government. If you were on $4796 anywhere in the West, […]
China PE Demand Boosted By New Environmental Clampdown On Recycling
By John Richardson BACK in 2009, virgin polyolefins demand growth in China was boosted by a sharp drop in imports of recycled or scrap plastic resulting from tougher enforcement of environmental regulations. Now another government crackdown on imports of scrap material, again due to environmental concerns, might have provided a further benefit to demand growth for […]
Recycling Dip Boosts China By 8-10 Percentage Points
It can be a dirty business…. Source of picture: www.China-environmental-news-blogspot.com By John Richardson THE sharp drop in plastics recycling in China has added 8-10 percentage points to virgin polyolefin demand growth in 2009, estimates a major Asian producer. “It’s a much bigger than we had anticipated and we’re of course evaluating whether recycling […]