While the world grapples with a plastic waste crisis, the United States quietly churned out over 51 billion pounds of plastic resin in 2022 alone, setting a new production record that underscores a growing environmental challenge.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, U.S. plastic resin production reached 51.3 billion pounds
- U.S. plastic production grew by 2.7% in 2022 compared to 2021
- Total U.S. thermoplastics production was 45.8 billion pounds in 2022
- Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production in the U.S. was 5.2 million metric tons in 2021
- High-density polyethylene (HDPE) accounted for 16% of U.S. resin production in 2022 at 8.2 billion pounds
- Polypropylene (PP) production reached 10.3 billion pounds, representing 20% of total U.S. resins in 2022
- U.S. production capacity for HDPE is 22 billion pounds as of 2023
- Total U.S. polyethylene capacity exceeds 50 billion pounds annually in 2023
- U.S. has 150+ ethylene crackers supporting plastic production with 10 million tons capacity
- U.S. plastic industry employs 1.1 million workers directly in 2023
- Plastics contribute $444 billion to U.S. GDP annually
- U.S. plastic exports valued at $7.5 billion in 2022
- U.S. plastic production emits 2.8% of national GHG emissions
- 35 million tons of plastic waste generated annually in U.S.
- U.S. plastic recycling rate is 5-9% for post-consumer plastics
American plastic production continues to grow, reaching over 51 billion pounds in 2022 despite significant waste challenges.
Economic and Employment Stats
- U.S. plastic industry employs 1.1 million workers directly in 2023
- Plastics contribute $444 billion to U.S. GDP annually
- U.S. plastic exports valued at $7.5 billion in 2022
- Plastics sector supports 4.6 million jobs including indirect employment
- Average salary in U.S. plastics manufacturing is $65,000 per year
- U.S. plastic resin sales reached $65 billion in 2022
- Plastics account for 12% of U.S. chemical industry output value
- 700,000 manufacturing jobs tied to U.S. plastics in 2023
- U.S. plastic packaging market size is $120 billion annually
- Imports of plastics into U.S. totaled $50 billion in 2022
- Plastics industry invests $6 billion annually in R&D in U.S.
- U.S. plastic exports grew 5% to Mexico in 2022
- 35 states host plastics manufacturing facilities employing 900,000
- Plastics reduce U.S. healthcare costs by $20 billion yearly via packaging
- U.S. automotive plastics market valued at $15 billion in 2022
- Construction plastics market in U.S. is $25 billion annually
- U.S. plastic recycling industry generates $10 billion revenue
- Plastics support $1 trillion in U.S. shipment value annually
- 25,000 small businesses supply U.S. plastics industry
- U.S. electronics plastics market is $8 billion in 2023
- Tax revenue from U.S. plastics industry is $50 billion yearly
Economic and Employment Stats Interpretation
For all its economic might, the plastic industry’s greatest trick is making its environmental costs disappear from the balance sheet.
Environmental and Waste Stats
- U.S. plastic production emits 2.8% of national GHG emissions
- 35 million tons of plastic waste generated annually in U.S.
- U.S. plastic recycling rate is 5-9% for post-consumer plastics
- 80% of U.S. plastic waste ends in landfills
- U.S. produces 42 million tons of plastic packaging yearly
- Microplastics from U.S. production contribute 0.1-2.5 million tons to oceans annually
- Energy saved by recycling U.S. plastics: 1.5 quadrillion BTU/year
- U.S. plastic incineration for energy recovers 700 million pounds PET equivalent
- 4 trillion plastic bags used yearly in U.S., contributing to 1.5 billion pounds waste
- U.S. single-use plastics ban affects 10% of production volume
- Plastic production uses 4% of U.S. oil consumption
- U.S. recycled 3.1 billion pounds HDPE in 2022
- PET bottle recycling rate in U.S. is 29% (1.6 billion pounds)
- U.S. plastic waste exports dropped 90% post-China ban to 0.2 million tons
- Chemical recycling capacity in U.S. is 200 million pounds emerging
- U.S. plastics footprint: 12% of municipal solid waste
- Water use in U.S. plastic production is 50 billion gallons annually
- Bio-based plastics production in U.S. is 0.5 million tons (1% of total)
- U.S. plastic pollution costs $13 billion in cleanup yearly
- 2.5 million tons of plastic enter U.S. waterways annually from waste
- U.S. PP recycling recovered 1 billion pounds in 2022
- PVC recycling rate in U.S. is under 1%
- PS recycling in U.S. recovered 0.4 billion pounds (EPS foam)
Environmental and Waste Stats Interpretation
America has become a virtuoso in the tragic art of creating a magnificent, oil-thirsty monument out of plastic, only to meticulously bury, burn, or lose at sea 95% of it, then proudly point to the meager 5% we salvage as if it’s a symbol of progress and not a confession of failure.
Manufacturing Capacity
- U.S. production capacity for HDPE is 22 billion pounds as of 2023
- Total U.S. polyethylene capacity exceeds 50 billion pounds annually in 2023
- U.S. has 150+ ethylene crackers supporting plastic production with 10 million tons capacity
- New PP capacity additions in U.S. total 2.5 billion pounds from 2022-2025
- U.S. PVC capacity is 9.8 billion pounds as of 2023
- Over 300 plastic resin manufacturing facilities operate in the U.S.
- Gulf Coast region holds 60% of U.S. plastic production capacity
- U.S. PET capacity utilization averaged 95% in 2022
- 15 new plastic plants announced in U.S. since 2020 with $30 billion investment
- U.S. polystyrene capacity is 3.2 billion pounds per year
- Texas accounts for 40% of U.S. plastic resin capacity
- U.S. added 5 billion pounds of PE capacity in 2022 alone
- Total U.S. plastic recycling capacity is 5.6 billion pounds annually
- 90% of U.S. plastic production capacity is on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
- U.S. LDPE capacity stands at 8 billion pounds in 2023
- New ethylene capacity projects to add 4 million tons by 2026 in U.S.
- U.S. has 50 major plastic compounding plants with 10 billion pounds capacity
- Louisiana hosts 25% of U.S. petrochemical capacity for plastics
- U.S. ABS capacity is 2.1 billion pounds annually
- Planned U.S. plastic investments total $200 billion through 2030
Manufacturing Capacity Interpretation
In a grand and relentless symphony of hydrocarbons, America's industrial heartland is conducting a booming crescendo of plastic production, crafting a staggering future at a scale that makes our actual recycling efforts look like a timid, out-of-tune whisper.
Production Volumes
- In 2022, U.S. plastic resin production reached 51.3 billion pounds
- U.S. plastic production grew by 2.7% in 2022 compared to 2021
- Total U.S. thermoplastics production was 45.8 billion pounds in 2022
- Polyethylene production in the U.S. accounted for 34% of total resins in 2022 at 17.4 billion pounds
- U.S. plastic production per capita was approximately 220 pounds in 2021
- From 2019 to 2022, U.S. resin production increased by 8.5%
- U.S. produced 4.8 million metric tons of PET resins in 2020
- Total North American plastic resin production (including US) hit 60 billion pounds in 2023
- U.S. PVC production reached 7.2 billion pounds in 2022
- U.S. plastic film production was 12.5 billion pounds in 2021
- Annual U.S. plastic resin output averaged 48 billion pounds from 2018-2022
- U.S. production of polystyrene was 2.1 billion pounds in 2022
- In 2020, U.S. plastic production dipped to 42 billion pounds due to COVID
- U.S. polypropylene production hit 10.3 billion pounds in 2022
- Total U.S. thermoset plastics production was 5.5 billion pounds in 2021
- U.S. LDPE production was 5.8 billion pounds in 2022
- HDPE U.S. production reached 8.2 billion pounds in 2022
- U.S. plastic bottle production totaled 50 billion units in 2022
- U.S. resin production capacity utilization was 88% in 2022
- From 2000 to 2020, U.S. plastic production doubled to 45 billion pounds
- U.S. PET production capacity is 5.9 million tons annually as of 2023
- U.S. plastic packaging production was 15 billion pounds in 2021
- Annual growth rate of U.S. plastics production was 3.2% from 2017-2022
- U.S. produced 1.2 billion pounds of ABS resins in 2022
- Total U.S. engineering plastics output was 3.4 billion pounds in 2021
- U.S. plastic production for automotive sector was 4.1 billion pounds in 2022
- U.S. construction plastics use reached 11 billion pounds in 2022
- U.S. plastic exports of resins were 6.8 billion pounds in 2022
- U.S. plastic production energy use was 1.7 quadrillion BTU in 2020
- U.S. LLDPE production was 4.9 billion pounds in 2022
Production Volumes Interpretation
We are industriously burying ourselves in a mountain of our own making, producing enough plastic each year for every American to carry around a full-grown kangaroo's worth of the stuff while our capacity and growth metrics cheerfully ignore the ecological cliff we're racing toward.
Resin-Specific Production
- Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production in the U.S. was 5.2 million metric tons in 2021
- High-density polyethylene (HDPE) accounted for 16% of U.S. resin production in 2022 at 8.2 billion pounds
- Polypropylene (PP) production reached 10.3 billion pounds, representing 20% of total U.S. resins in 2022
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) output was 7.2 billion pounds or 14% of U.S. total in 2022
- Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) production totaled 5.8 billion pounds in 2022
- Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) was produced at 4.9 billion pounds in U.S. 2022
- Polystyrene (PS) production in U.S. was 2.1 billion pounds in 2022
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) output reached 1.2 billion pounds in 2022
- Polycarbonate (PC) U.S. production was 0.8 billion pounds in 2021
- Polyethylene (total PE) dominated U.S. production at 34 billion pounds in 2022
- PET resin production grew 4% to 5.4 million tons in U.S. 2023
- U.S. nylon production was 0.5 billion pounds in 2022
- Polyurethane (PU) resins output was 4.5 billion pounds in U.S. 2021
- U.S. epoxy resin production totaled 1.1 billion pounds in 2022
- Phenolic resins production in U.S. was 2.3 billion pounds in 2021
- U.S. production of polybutadiene rubber was 1.8 billion pounds in 2022
- Acrylic resins output reached 0.9 billion pounds in U.S. 2022
- U.S. fluoropolymer production was 0.15 billion pounds in 2021
- Polyester resins (unsaturated) production was 1.5 billion pounds in 2022
- U.S. styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) output was 2.4 billion pounds in 2022
- Polysulfone production in U.S. totaled 0.1 billion pounds annually
- U.S. PEEK (polyether ether ketone) production capacity is 20 million pounds per year
- Polyamide (PA) production was 0.6 billion pounds in U.S. 2022
- U.S. output of polyacetal resins was 0.3 billion pounds in 2021
- Polysiloxane (silicone) resins production reached 0.4 billion pounds in 2022
- U.S. ionomer resins production was 0.2 billion pounds in 2022
- Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) output totaled 0.7 billion pounds in U.S. 2021
Resin-Specific Production Interpretation
Our planet is now patiently waiting, buried under a meticulously catalogued mountain of 34 billion pounds of polyethylene alone, for us to realize that manufacturing this many specific types of permanence might have been a slightly ambitious long-term storage solution.
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