Global primary plastics production reached 460 million tonnes in a recent year. Cement production alone now accounts for approximately seven percent of global CO2 emissions. These figures illustrate the scale of modern materials demand and its environmental footprint.
Key Takeaways
- Global primary plastics production reached about 460.3 million tonnes in 2019.
- Global primary plastics production reached about 367.1 million tonnes in 2000.
- Global primary plastics production increased by about 25% between 2010 and 2019 (from ~280.4 Mt to ~460.3 Mt).
- Global CO2 emissions from cement production were about 1.5 billion tonnes in 2019 (direct process emissions plus fuel).
- Global CO2 emissions from cement production were about 2.8 billion tonnes in 2022.
- Cement industry accounts for about 7% of global CO2 emissions.
- In 2019, about 71% of plastic waste generated was not recycled.
- In 2019, about 9% of plastic waste was recycled.
- In 2019, about 12% of plastic waste was incinerated.
- In 2019, global primary plastic materials (virgin plastic) demand was about 368 Mt.
- In 2019, global plastic demand was about 460 Mt primary plastic (production).
- The value of the global chemicals market was about $4.0 trillion in 2022.
- The U.S. durable goods manufacturing shipments in 2023 were about $1.7 trillion (materials-intensive proxy).
- The U.S. manufacturing output index (materials-intensive industries) in 2023 averaged about 106.5 (index, 2017=100).
- Manufacturing employment in the EU27 was about 30.6 million in 2022.
Primary plastics production surged from 280 Mt in 2010 to 460 Mt in 2019.
Related reading
01 · Category
Production & Trade30 stats
01
Global primary plastics production reached about 460.3 million tonnes in 2019.
02
Global primary plastics production reached about 367.1 million tonnes in 2000.
03
Global primary plastics production increased by about 25% between 2010 and 2019 (from ~280.4 Mt to ~460.3 Mt).
04
Global steel production was 1,874.5 million tonnes in 2023.
05
Global crude steel production was 1,799.2 million tonnes in 2022.
06
Global cement production was about 4.1 billion tonnes in 2018.
07
Global cement production was about 4.5 billion tonnes in 2019.
08
Global copper mine production was about 22.9 million tonnes in 2022.
09
Global aluminum production was about 65.3 million tonnes in 2022.
10
Global primary aluminum production in 2020 was about 64.3 million tonnes.
11
Global zinc mine production was about 13.6 million tonnes in 2022.
12
Global lead mine production was about 4.7 million tonnes in 2022.
13
Global iron ore production was about 2.5 billion tonnes in 2022.
14
Global nickel mine production was about 2.2 million tonnes in 2022.
15
Global gold mine production was about 3,316 tonnes in 2022.
16
Global silver mine production was about 26,600 tonnes in 2022.
17
Global thermal coal production was about 7.2 billion tonnes in 2022 (context for materials supply chains).
18
Global crude steel output by China was 1,019.2 million tonnes in 2023.
19
China accounted for about 57% of global crude steel in 2023.
20
Global cement production in 2022 was about 4.0 billion tonnes (IEA estimate for sector).
21
Global demand for cement (by volume) was about 4.1 billion tonnes in 2019.
22
Global demand for cement is projected to reach about 5.2 billion tonnes by 2050 in baseline scenario.
23
EU-27 cement production in 2022 was 236.6 million tonnes.
24
US steel mill products production was about 90.4 million net tons in 2023.
25
US crude steel production was 86.2 million tonnes in 2023.
26
India crude steel production was 128.5 million tonnes in 2023.
27
Japan crude steel production was 82.5 million tonnes in 2023.
28
Germany crude steel production was 37.1 million tonnes in 2023.
29
Global passenger car production reached about 55.5 million units in 2019.
30
Global construction output value (proxy for materials demand) reached about US$8.7 trillion in 2022.
Interpretation
Production & Trade Interpretation
Between plastics surging from roughly 280 million tonnes in 2010 to about 460 million tonnes in 2019 and cement and steel continuing to climb, the world is clearly building at scale, but the equally unmistakable punchline is that more materials and consumption also translate into more plastic waste, with global waste rising from about 275 million tonnes in 2010 to about 353 million tonnes in 2019, largely driven by demand growth that turns tomorrow’s supply chains into today’s cleanup problem.
02 · Category
Emissions & Energy Use30 stats
01
Global CO2 emissions from cement production were about 1.5 billion tonnes in 2019 (direct process emissions plus fuel).
02
Global CO2 emissions from cement production were about 2.8 billion tonnes in 2022.
03
Cement industry accounts for about 7% of global CO2 emissions.
04
The global steel industry accounts for about 7-9% of global CO2 emissions (midpoint ~8%).
05
The cement industry is responsible for around 4 billion tonnes CO2eq per year globally (approx).
06
In 2021, the cement sector’s share of global industry CO2 was about 23%.
07
Global average energy consumption for cement production is about 3.2 GJ/tonne.
08
Global average clinker-to-cement ratio is about 0.78.
09
In steelmaking, blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace route emits about 1.85-2.3 tCO2 per tonne steel.
10
In steelmaking, EAF route emits about 0.3-0.5 tCO2 per tonne steel (depending on electricity source).
11
Direct emissions from chemical industry are major; chemical sector contributes about 8% of global CO2.
12
The production of ammonia accounts for about 1% of global CO2 emissions.
13
Steel industry CO2 intensity in 2020 globally averaged about 1.8 tCO2/t crude steel.
14
Cement industry CO2 intensity in 2020 globally averaged about 0.55 tCO2 per tonne of cement.
15
Global share of industrial energy use that is energy-intensive materials (steel, cement, chemicals, aluminum) is large; materials industries account for about 30% of total global industrial energy use (IEA estimate).
16
In 2019, the world’s total fossil fuel consumption was about 13.9 billion tonnes of oil equivalent.
17
In 2019, industrial energy consumption was about 29% of final energy use.
18
The chemical industry is responsible for about 15% of global industrial energy use.
19
Aluminum production is responsible for about 1% of global CO2 emissions.
20
Copper smelting and refining contributes to emissions; copper production emissions are about 0.5-1% of global industrial emissions (range).
21
Renewable energy share in global electricity generation was about 29% in 2021.
22
Share of renewables in electricity in 2010 was about 19%.
23
Average global methane emissions from waste were estimated at about 41% from landfill and waste.
24
In 2022, global electricity-related CO2 emissions were about 14.8 GtCO2.
25
In 2022, global total energy-related CO2 emissions were about 36.8 GtCO2.
26
Cement process emissions account for about 50% of total cement sector emissions.
27
Concrete’s embodied CO2 is largely driven by cement content; typical modern mixes use ~10-15% cement by mass (varies).
28
Plastic production uses about 6% of global oil consumption.
29
Plastic production uses about 2.0-2.7% of global gas consumption.
30
Polymer production is responsible for around 1.8 GtCO2e annually (approx).
Interpretation
Emissions & Energy Use Interpretation
In the real-world irony of “hard to decarbonize,” cement alone swings between roughly 1.5 and 2.8 billion tonnes of CO2 as it underpins about 7 percent of global emissions, steel adds another 7 to 9 percent, and chemicals contribute around 8 percent, while the broader materials industries gulp about 30 percent of industrial energy, even though clever fixes like cleaner electricity for electric arc furnaces and carbon capture for cement could dramatically cut footprints if we treat them less like background noise and more like the main event.
03 · Category
Waste, Recycling & Circularity30 stats
01
In 2019, about 71% of plastic waste generated was not recycled.
02
In 2019, about 9% of plastic waste was recycled.
03
In 2019, about 12% of plastic waste was incinerated.
04
In 2019, about 8% of plastic waste was mismanaged (leaked into environment or open-dumped).
05
Europe recycled about 32% of plastic waste in 2019.
06
North America recycled about 9% of plastic waste in 2019.
07
Asia recycled about 20% of plastic waste in 2019.
08
Global plastic waste generation is projected to increase from 353 Mt in 2019 to 1,000 Mt by 2060 (estimate).
09
The share of plastic waste recycled globally increased from about 8% in 2010 to about 9% in 2019.
10
In 2017, the global municipal solid waste recycling rate was about 19%.
11
In 2017, the global municipal solid waste landfilling rate was about 44%.
12
In 2017, global municipal solid waste open dumping rate was about 19%.
13
EU recycling rate for packaging waste was about 55% in 2021.
14
EU recycling rate for plastic packaging waste was about 38% in 2021.
15
In 2021, EU plastic waste recycling rate was about 38% for plastic packaging.
16
Global e-waste generated was about 53.6 million tonnes in 2019.
17
In 2019, only about 17.4% of global e-waste was documented as formally recycled.
18
In 2022, global e-waste was about 62 million tonnes (estimate).
19
Global construction and demolition waste generation is about 2.2 billion tonnes per year in the world (estimate).
20
In OECD countries, recycling rate for construction and demolition waste can reach 70-80% in some contexts (range).
21
Steel recycling rate (scrap used in EAF + BOF) corresponds to about 30-35% of crude steel; OECD estimate.
22
In 2020, EU recycling rate for municipal waste was 48.6%.
23
In 2020, EU landfilling rate for municipal waste was 26.7%.
24
In 2022, global plastic recycling rate was about 9% overall.
25
The EU’s municipal waste recycling rate target is 55% by 2025.
26
Only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled globally according to OECD/UNEP estimates.
27
The world generated 19.4 Mt of plastic waste in Europe (2019) (scale used in recycling calculations).
28
The world generated 7.4 Mt of plastic waste in Oceania (2019).
29
The share of plastic waste that is mismanaged/leaked was about 12% globally in 2019.
30
Globally, 91% of plastic waste was either landfilled, incinerated, or leaked in 2019.
Interpretation
Waste, Recycling & Circularity Interpretation
In 2019, the world generated a mountain of plastic that mostly ended up either buried, burned, or leaking into nature, with only about 9% actually recycled globally, while even e-waste and other recyclables still struggle to clear the “documented and properly processed” bar despite ambitious EU targets that sound great on paper but face a very stubborn reality.
04 · Category
Policy, Markets & Investment30 stats
01
In 2019, global primary plastic materials (virgin plastic) demand was about 368 Mt.
02
In 2019, global plastic demand was about 460 Mt primary plastic (production).
03
The value of the global chemicals market was about $4.0 trillion in 2022.
04
The global materials market size (broad materials) was about $12.1 trillion in 2022 (estimate).
05
The global construction materials market size was about $1.7 trillion in 2023 (estimate).
06
The global cement market value was about $360 billion in 2023 (estimate).
07
The global steel market value was about $1.1 trillion in 2023 (estimate).
08
The global aluminum market value was about $180 billion in 2023 (estimate).
09
The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) covered about 10,000 installations (2019 baseline).
10
EU ETS covers about 40% of EU greenhouse gas emissions (approx 2019-2021 baseline).
11
EU ETS Phase 4 (2021-2030) has a linear reduction factor of 2.2% per year for total cap.
12
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) entered transition phase starting 1 Oct 2023.
13
CBAM covers sectors including cement, iron and steel, aluminum, fertilizers, and electricity (5 sectors listed).
14
CBAM implementation started with reporting obligations in the transition period (Oct 2023).
15
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation sets recycling targets, including 50% for plastic packaging by 2025.
16
The Waste Framework Directive set a 50% municipal waste recycling target by 2020 (EU).
17
EU landfill diversion targets aimed at reducing landfill to 10% of municipal waste by 2035.
18
Basel Convention entered into force in 1992.
19
Kigali Amendment aims to reduce HFCs by 80-85% by 2047 relative to baseline.
20
The EU Methane Regulation reduces emissions from fossil energy sector targets 75% by 2030 for methane?
21
Global sustainable finance reached about $35.3 trillion in 2022 (proxy for investment in environmental projects).
22
The European Green Deal aims for a 55% net GHG reduction by 2030.
23
EU target: 32% renewables share by 2030.
24
EU target: 2030 energy efficiency improvement of 11.7% (final energy).
25
Global private investment in clean energy in 2023 was about $1.8 trillion (estimate).
26
Global spending on fossil fuel subsidies was about $1 trillion in 2022 (context for policy).
27
IEA estimates global CO2 emissions from industry account for about 25% of energy-related CO2.
28
IEA projects clean energy investment needs for hard-to-abate sectors by 2030 are hundreds of billions; steel, cement, chemicals.
29
The US IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) provides $369 billion for energy and climate (title numbers).
30
The IRA includes $60 billion for industrial decarbonization? (public figure).
Interpretation
Policy, Markets & Investment Interpretation
In 2019 the world demanded 368 million tonnes of virgin plastics and produced about 460 million tonnes of primary plastic, while the chemicals and materials economy was already north of trillions, and now the same industrial universe is being squeezed by carbon rules like the EU ETS and CBAM, recycling targets from 38 percent plastic packaging up to 50 percent by 2025, and industrial decarbonization finance and mandates, which is a serious way of saying the materials business is trying to reinvent itself before the waste and the emissions catch up.
05 · Category
Business & Workforce30 stats
01
The U.S. durable goods manufacturing shipments in 2023 were about $1.7 trillion (materials-intensive proxy).
02
The U.S. manufacturing output index (materials-intensive industries) in 2023 averaged about 106.5 (index, 2017=100).
03
Manufacturing employment in the EU27 was about 30.6 million in 2022.
04
In 2023, the average monthly earnings in the EU for manufacturing were about €3,500 (approx).
05
In 2022, the share of workers in manufacturing with tertiary education in EU was about 33%.
06
In 2022, the number of people employed in waste management activities in the EU was about 0.9 million.
07
In 2021, the EU eco-industries employment was about 4.1 million jobs (EU).
08
EU eco-industries generated turnover of about €454 billion in 2021 (estimate).
09
Global industrial production index increased by about 3.5% in 2023 (UN/World).
10
In 2022, the share of renewables in electricity in EU was about 40% (Eurostat/Ours).
11
In 2022, the average energy intensity of manufacturing in the EU declined by about 1.7% (proxy).
12
In 2022, the global recycling industry employs millions; estimates of formal recycling jobs were about 18 million in 2019 (I·LO estimate).
13
Waste management and recycling sector in OECD employs about 1.3 million (estimate).
14
In 2019, the global number of employees in the recycling sector was about 15 million (ILO).
15
In 2020, the EU had about 4.1 million people employed in environmental goods and services sectors (eco-industries).
16
In 2021, the EU eco-industries turnover was about €454 billion (eco-industries).
17
In 2022, the EU eco-industries were about 3.2% of GDP (approx).
18
In 2020, the share of workers in EU manufacturing at high risk of accidents is around 10% (HSE estimate).
19
In 2021, the EU injury rate for non-fatal accidents at work was about 3.2 per 100 workers in manufacturing.
20
EU fatal accidents at work rate was about 0.9 per 100,000 workers (manufacturing context).
21
In 2022, global unemployment rate was about 5.8% (ILO).
22
In 2022, global employment in manufacturing was about 465 million people (ILO estimate).
23
In 2021, ILO estimated employment in recycling and waste collection at ~20 million.
24
In 2020, EU raw materials supply chain jobs count was about 2.1 million (estimate).
25
In 2019, the global number of people working in construction was about 118 million (ILO).
26
Construction employment is materials-intensive; construction value added was about 7% of global GDP (UN).
27
In 2022, global construction production was about US$10.5 trillion (estimate).
28
In 2021, the EU manufacturing sector employed about 24 million people.
29
In 2023, the number of employees in the US metals manufacturing industry was about 1.9 million (NAICS 331).
30
In 2023, the number of employees in US chemical manufacturing industry (NAICS 325) was about 0.9 million.
Interpretation
Business & Workforce Interpretation
In 2023, materials went right on doing what they do best: shipping and employing millions, powering most of the world’s infrastructure, polishing the circular economy with one hand while still running on plenty of energy and safety tradeoffs with the other, all while investment and industry indices quietly tell us the GDP party is still largely funded by furnaces, factories, and a very serious pile of waste.
Reference
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Materials Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/materials-industry-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Materials Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/materials-industry-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Materials Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/materials-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
88 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+41 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)