Consumption of plastic in India 1990-2021

In 2021, the total consumption of plastic in India amounted to approximately 21 million tons. The country's plastic consumption volume increased 23-fold in the observed time frame. However, the per capita consumption of plastic in the country was less than half of the global average.

Leading companies

With the presence of large industrial groups that manufacture various polymers to over thousands of distributors, plastic processors, and end-users, India has a strong presence along the entire supply chain. There were eight large scale producers of polyolefins in the nation in financial year 2022, with Reliance Industries Limited leading this sector. It was also the leading company by capacity to produce polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene terephthalate. At the end-user industry level, there were a host of industries that specialized in their domain. For example, Astral Poly Technik was a leading company that manufactured and traded plastic pipes and fittings. Supreme Industries and Nilkamal specialized in the molded furniture business.

International Trade

India exports a considerable volume of plastic of significant value, with Asia accounting for the highest share of Indian plastic exports. In recent years, the plastic exports from the nation have been affected due to the United States revoking export benefits provided to Indian goods in 2019, as well as increasing global awareness on the environmental impact of plastics. Plastic producers in the country urged the government to increase customs duties and levy anti-dumping measures to curb the supply of imported plastic in the country, the volume of which had been rising.