Plastics production: a majority vs a minority?

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the concentration of global plastic polymer production among a small number of countries and companies, highlighting the tension between a majority of nations seeking production reductions and a minority of oil and gas-producing states opposing such measures.

• In June 2025, 96 countries advocated for reducing primary plastic polymer production to sustainable levels during Global Plastics Treaty negotiations. This was opposed by a small group of oil and gas-producing states, specifically led by Iran, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, during 2024 talks in Busan, South Korea.
• Global plastic production is highly concentrated, with seven countries accounting for 66% of production in 2024. China, the US, and Saudi Arabia are the top producers, collectively producing over 50% of the world's plastics.
• Government subsidies for plastic feedstocks are heavily concentrated. In 2022, the top 15 plastic-producing countries provided USD 26.4 billion in subsidies, with 80% of that total coming from just three countries: China, Saudi Arabia, and Germany.
• Corporate production of plastic polymers is also concentrated, with 18 companies estimated to produce more than half of the global supply in 2021. The five largest producers—ExxonMobil, Sinopec, LyondellBasell, Saudi Aramco, and PetroChina—account for nearly 25% of global production, with ExxonMobil and Sinopec alone exceeding 10%.

APA

Team, Z. (2025). Plastics production: a majority vs a minority? Zero Carbon Analytics. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/majority-of-the-worlds-plastics-produced-by-a-small-number-of-countries-and-companies/

Chicago

Team, ZCA. Plastics production: a majority vs a minority? Zero Carbon Analytics, 2025. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/majority-of-the-worlds-plastics-produced-by-a-small-number-of-countries-and-companies/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Team |first1=ZCA |title=Plastics production: a majority vs a minority? |publisher=Zero Carbon Analytics |date=6 August 2025 |url=https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/majority-of-the-worlds-plastics-produced-by-a-small-number-of-countries-and-companies/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{team2025plastics, author = {Team, ZCA}, title = {{Plastics production: a majority vs a minority?}}, institution = {Zero Carbon Analytics}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/energy/majority-of-the-worlds-plastics-produced-by-a-small-number-of-countries-and-companies/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }