Key points:
- In the lead-up to negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty, 96 countries backed reductions on plastic production, while a small number of countries have opposed the measure.
- Just seven countries are responsible for two-thirds of the world’s plastic production.
- Eighteen companies are estimated to be responsible for more than half of all global plastics production.
- Three countries – China, Saudi Arabia and Germany – are responsible for 80% of plastic feedstock subsidies among the largest plastic polymer producers.
Plastics production: a majority vs a minority?
In June 2025, 96 countries called for measures to reduce the production of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels, as part of negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty. A small group of oil and gas-producing states – led by Iran, Russia and Saudi Arabia – opposed capping plastic production during treaty talks in Busan, South Korea, in 2024.
Analysis of the plastics industry shows that these dynamics are reflected in the industry itself. While the harms of plastics are global, production is dominated by a small number of countries and companies. 1This briefing focuses on the production of plastic polymers, the chemical compounds that are used to create plastic materials, specifically Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and Polystyrene (PS).
Seven countries produce two-thirds of global plastic
Just seven countries were responsible for 66% of global plastics production in 2024, based on data from Eunomia, an environmental consultancy. 2ZCA analysis. Data extracted from Quaker United Nations Office & Eunomia, Plastic Money: Turning Off the Subsidies Tap, Figure 4-1 using Automeris.io, which produces estimated data from published graphs.China, the US and Saudi Arabia are the largest producers, together producing more than half of the world’s plastics.
Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia, key opponents of measures to limit plastic production, rank third, tenth and eleventh in the world, respectively.
The concentrated number of countries producing plastics is also reflected in government subsidies for plastic production. Analysis by Eunomia has identified three main mechanisms of government subsidies for the plastic-producing industry: price setting, policies such as tax credits and rebates, and tax exemptions.
Eunomia’s analysis shows that the top 15 countries producing the largest volume of plastics collectively provided USD 26.4 billion in subsidies for plastics feedstocks in 2022. Feedstocks are the raw materials from oil refining and gas processing used to make plastics. Just three countries – China, Saudi Arabia and Germany – account for 80% of that total.
Plastic production is concentrated in a handful of companies
Just 18 companies are estimated to be responsible for more than half of global plastic polymer production in 2021, according to analysis of data from Wood Mackenzie, a global energy data provider.
ExxonMobil and Chinese state-owned oil and gas company Sinopec together account for more than 10% of all plastic polymer production globally. LyondellBasell, a Texas-headquartered and Dutch-incorporated chemicals company, state-owned Saudi Aramco and PetroChina make up the rest of the five largest producers, which together account for nearly a quarter of global production.
