Owing to its numerous outstanding properties, polyethylene linear low density (LLDPE) is an essential raw material used in the production of a wide spectrum of diverse goods, including bottles, dairy product packaging, garbage bags, coffee can lids, toys, stretch wraps, buckets, pouches, containers, and many others.
In 2012, world annual production capacity of LLDPE was estimated at over 34.5 million tonnes. Asia Pacific and North America take the lead in terms of LLDPE capacity, together accounting for around 57% share of the overall figure.
Global LLDPE capacity broken down by region, 2012
Dow, ExxonMobil Chemical, PetroChina, Chevron Phillips Chemical Co, SINOPEC, Nova Chemicals, Braskem SA and Borealis are amid the dominant players in the global LLDPE market.
During 2008-2012, the worldwide LLDPE market witnessed stable growth. In 2012, global LLDPE production grew by just over 6.5% and climbed to almost 25.9 million tonnes. Asia Pacific and North America together account for over half of the overall LLDPE production volume. The US, China, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Brazil are the globe’s top five LLDPE-producing nations.
Global LLDPE production broken down by country, 2012
The world demand for LLDPE is strongly dependent on the overall economic environment. In 2008, the global economic crisis led to a decline in worldwide LLDPE consumption by nearly 3%. During 2008-2012, global LLDPE consumption grew from just over 19 million tonnes to more than 25.8 million tonnes by the end of the period. Packaging and construction are the major end-use sectors of LLDPE. Asia is the leading LLDPE consumer, accounting for nearly 44% of the overall LLDPE demand.
The global LLDPE market is poised to experience steady growth in the upcoming years, due to scheduled capacity additions as well as the constantly increasing demand for the chemical. The world production of LLDPE is likely to reach a volume of more than 29 million tonnes in 2015.
More information on the LLDPE market can be found “Polyethylene Linear Low Density (LLDPE) 2013 World Market Outlook and Forecast up to 2017”.