Page 44 - Plastics News June 2026
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FEATURE NEWS
India’s Plastics Sector At An Inflection Point
mid rising environmental expectations segments, including packaging, infrastructure,
and changing consumer demand, the automotive, healthcare, agriculture, consumer
Aindustry is transitioning from a volume- goods, and electronics. Market analysts forecast
driven manufacturing model to one centred on sustained growth through the decade, support-
innovation, resource efficiency and long-term ed by urbanization, industrial expansion, and ris-
value creation ing domestic consumption.
India's plastics industry is entering a defining
phase in 2026. Long regarded as one of the
country's fastest-growing manufacturing sec-
tors, the industry is now evolving beyond its tra-
A Manufacturing Backbone
According to the latest industry estimates pub-
lished by the Indian Brand Equity Foundation
(IBEF), a trust established by the Department of
Commerce, Government of India, India’s plastics
sector comprises approximately 30,000 pro-
cessing units, most of them MSMEs and provides
employment to more than five million people na-
tionwide. Small and medium enterprises contin-
ditional strengths of scale and cost competitive-
ness. Today, growth is increasingly being driven ue to dominate the value chain, accounting for
by innovation, sustainability, export expansion, nearly 90 percent of processing units.
and the emergence of a circular economy. Val- Government initiatives such as "Make in India,"
ued at nearly USD 47 billion in 2025 and pro- infrastructure development programs, and the
jected to approach USD 80 billion by 2034, the establishment of plastic parks across multiple
Indian plastics sector remains a critical pillar of states have further strengthened the industry's
the country's manufacturing ecosystem. The manufacturing base. These industrial clusters
industry serves a broad spectrum of end-user are helping companies improve efficiency, at-
46 PLASTICS NEWS June 2026
