2013 Plastics Research Review

This 2012 Plastics Research Review provides:

• A comprehensive and updated reference for those interested and/or involved with the U.S. plastic pipe and tubing industries and that both serve and benefit from these industries.
• Analysis and forecasting market developments regarding major applications for bioplastics, including packaging, automotive, electrical/electronic, medical, building and construction.
• Analysis for those who are interested and/or involved in the plastic thermoformed businesses that include resin producers, plastic sheet producers, thermoformers and those in the major industries using these products.
• Coverage of all electronic components where plastics are used to a significant extent in mostly molding electronic components and excludes fiber optics, wire and cable, enclosures, recording media, etc.
  

• The global market for electroactive polymers was $1.9 billion in 2010 and is expected to be about $2.1 billion in 2011. It is forecast to grow to over $3 billion by 2016 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1%.
• The global market for applications of wood-plastic composites, cellulosic plastics, plastic lumber and natural fiber composites is estimated at about 2.4 million metric tons in 2011. By 2016, it is estimated at nearly 4.6 million metric tons and rising at a CAGR of 13.8%.
• The North American fiber-reinforced plastic/composite market is estimated at 2.7 billion pounds in 2010 and is expected to increase to about 3.1 billion by 2015, reflecting a 2.8% CAGR. 

• The North American transparent plastics market was estimated at more than 3.3 billion pounds in 2010 and is projected to reach 4 billion pounds by 2015, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.7%.  Polycarbonates, acrylics, and polystyrenes accounted for about 80% of total volume in 2010 and will maintain their aggregate share through the middle of this decade.
  
• The merchant market for polymeric (plastic) foams in the U.S. is a large one, estimated at more than 7.5 billion pounds in 2010. BCC forecasts an overall compounded average annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 2.5% for all foams, that is, foams produced from commercial plastics, for the period 2010 to 2015, a market of 8.6 billion pounds by 2015.
  
• The U.S. medical plastics market is estimated at almost 3.5 billion pounds in 2010 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 5%, consuming about 4.4 billion pounds by 2015.