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Plastic has become an omnipresent material in modern society, with its applications spanning numerous industries. Packaging leads global plastic consumption, accounting for ** percent of total usage. This dominance in the packaging sector highlights the material's crucial role in protecting and preserving goods across supply chains worldwide.

Packaging dominates plastic use

The prevalence of plastic in packaging is evident across various markets. The packaging segment in Europe, represented ** percent of plastics converter demand in 2022, followed by the building and construction sector at ** percent. FMCG companies contribute significantly to this trend, with The Coca-Cola Company using approximately **** million metric tons of plastic packaging for its products worldwide in 2023. However, efforts to reduce virgin plastic use are underway, as evidenced by the *** percent decrease in virgin plastic use among Global Commitment brand and retail signatories in 2023.

Diverse applications beyond packaging

While packaging dominates plastic use, plastic consumption is distributed among other sectors too, which also rely heavily on this versatile material. The consumer goods sector is the second-largest consumer of plastics after the packaging sector. Additionally, the global demand for polyethylene, the most consumed polymer worldwide, was estimated at ** million tons in 2022, with forecasts predicting an increase to ** million tons by 2024. This growth reflects the expanding applications of plastic across various industries, from consumer goods to infrastructure.