Plastics Industry: Accelerated Green Transformation, with Innovative Technologies Leading Industrial Upgrading

In 2025, driven by the dual forces of sustainability and technological innovation, the global plastics industry is accelerating its transformation towards green and intelligent directions. With increased global attention to plastic pollution control, biodegradable plastics, recycled plastics, and low-carbon manufacturing technologies have become focal points, propelling collaborative upgrades across the industrial chain.

Biodegradable Plastics Capacity Surges, Expanding Application Scenarios
China's biodegradable plastics industry has entered a period of rapid development. It is projected that domestic production capacity will exceed 2 million tons per year by 2025, accounting for more than half of the global capacity. Among them, PBAT-based materials constitute over 60% of the total and are widely used in areas such as express packaging and agricultural mulch films. PLA materials, with their low-carbon attributes, are rapidly penetrating markets like catering tableware and 3D printing. However, the industry still faces challenges such as overcapacity and an imperfect recycling system. Some enterprises are achieving differentiated competition through technological breakthroughs. For instance, Kingfa Science & Technology's "high-value recycling technology for waste household appliance plastics" won the National Science and Technology Progress Award. The performance of its recycled materials rivals that of virgin materials, with revenues from recycled plastics exceeding 5 billion yuan in 2024.

Breakthroughs in Recycled Plastic Technologies, Building a Circular Economy Closed Loop
International giants such as BASF and Dow Chemical are accelerating their布局 (layouts) in the recycled plastics sector. BASF has introduced plastic recycling and circular economy solutions, transforming waste plastics into high-quality raw materials through chemical recycling technologies for applications in industries such as automotive connectors and footwear materials. For example, BASF collaborated with TE Connectivity to integrate recycled materials into automotive connectors, reducing fossil resource consumption and lowering product carbon footprints. Domestic enterprises are also closely following this trend. Wanhua Chemical has signed an agreement with the Guangzhou International Bio Island Laboratory to establish an innovation consortium for biochemical research and manufacturing, advancing the industrialization of recycled plastic technologies.

Intelligent Technologies Empower the Industry, Enhancing Production Efficiency and Quality
Intelligent technologies such as intelligent injection molding and high-efficiency extrusion are being rapidly adopted in the plastics industry. Enterprises like Haitian International and Yizumi have launched electric injection molding machines and digital injection molding systems, optimizing production processes through IoT and AI technologies. For instance, Donghua Machinery's 1100HD ultra-large electric injection molding machine won the "2025 Rubber and Plastics Technology Innovation Award," with its energy-efficient characteristics significantly reducing enterprise operating costs. Additionally, the application of automated inspection and collaborative robots has further enhanced the processing precision and stability of plastic products.

Driven by Both Policy and Market Forces, the Industry Advances Towards High-Quality Development
China's "14th Five-Year Plan" lists modified plastics as a key development direction for new materials, with 5 billion yuan in special central fiscal subsidies allocated in 2023. Supported by these policies, the demand for high-performance plastic materials in sectors such as new energy vehicles and 5G communications has surged, driving the industry's transformation towards high-value-added fields. It is projected that by 2025, the market size of modified plastics in China will exceed 400 billion yuan, with an average annual compound growth rate maintained at 8%-10%.