MANUFACTURING www.csiro.au The Recycled Plastics Market: Global Analysis and Trends Katherine ES Locock, Jessica Deane, Edward Kosior, Hishani Prabaharan, Melissa Skidmore, Oliver E Hutt Citation Locock, KES (2017) The Recycled Plastics Market: Global Analysis and Trends. CSIRO, Australia. Copyright and disclaimer © 2017 CSIRO To the extent permitted by law, all rights are reserved and no part of this publication covered by copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means except with the written permission of CSIRO. Important disclaimer CSIRO advises that the information contained in this publication comprises general statements based on scientific research. The reader is advised and needs to be aware that such information may be incomplete or unable to be used in any specific situation. No reliance or actions must therefore be made on that information without seeking prior expert professional, scientific and technical advice. 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Contents Executive summary ....................................................................................................................................... v 1.1 Goal of study .......................................................................................................................... v 1.2 Scope of study ........................................................................................................................ v 1.3 Market landscape .................................................................................................................. v 1.4 IP landscape analysis .............................................................................................................. v 1.5 Macroeconomic analysis: PESTLE framework ...................................................................... vi 1.6 Microeconomic analysis: Thompson and Strickland’s Seven Strategic Questions ............. viii 1.7 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. x 2 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 2.1 Goal of study ......................................................................................................................... 1 2.2 Scope of study ....................................................................................................................... 1 3 Plastic recycling overview ............................................................................................................... 2 3.1 Plastic waste management definitions ................................................................................. 2 Materials recovery .......................................................................................................................... 2 Energy recovery .............................................................................................................................. 3 3.2 Plastic resin classifications .................................................................................................... 4 4 Market analysis ............................................................................................................................... 6 4.1 Market landscape ................................................................................................................. 6 Market size and forecast ................................................................................................................. 6 Market segmentation...................................................................................................................... 6 Major domestic and overseas companies ...................................................................................... 8 4.2 IP landscape analysis ........................................................................................................... 13 Patent filing trends ........................................................................................................................ 13 Network analysis ........................................................................................................................... 17 Patent impact analysis .................................................................................................................. 19 Investment trends ......................................................................................................................... 19 4.3 Macroeconomic analysis: PESTLE framework .................................................................... 22 Political influences ........................................................................................................................ 22 Economic influences ..................................................................................................................... 25 Social influences ............................................................................................................................ 27 Technological influences ............................................................................................................... 29 Legal influences ............................................................................................................................. 31 Environmental influences ............................................................................................................. 33 4.4 Microeconomic analysis: Thompson and Strickland’s Seven Strategic Questions ............. 35 Question 1: Dominant economic features .................................................................................... 35 Question 2: Competitive forces .................................................................................................... 35 Question 3: Forces driving change ................................................................................................ 36 Question 4: Market positions ........................................................................................................ 40 Question 5: Likely strategies ......................................................................................................... 41 The Recycled Plastics Market: Global Analysis and Trends | i Question 6: Key factors for future success ................................................................................... 42 Question 7: Outlook for industry .................................................................................................. 43 5 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 44 References .................................................................................................................................................. 46 f ii | The Recycled Plastics Market: Global Analysis and Trends Figures Figure 1. Macroeconomic PESTLE framework utilised in this study encompassing political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental influences. .......................................................................... 1 Figure 2. Microeconomic Thompson and Strickland framework used in this study encompassing seven strategic questions to understand industry competitive environments and key information for strategic planning. ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 Figure 3. Overview of the plastic recycling process 1 ................................................................................... 2 Figure 4. Global end user in 2017 2............................................................................................................... 7 Figure 5. Global market by type in 2017 2 .................................................................................................... 7 Figure 6. Patent filing by priority year for polymer recycling patents 6 ..................................................... 13 Figure 7. Patent filing by priority country 6 ................................................................................................ 13 Figure 8. Patent filing by polymer type 6 .................................................................................................... 14 Figure 9. Patent filing by process step 6 ..................................................................................................... 14 Figure 10. Patent filing breakdown according to market sector 6 .............................................................. 15 Figure 11. Patent filing stratified by application, polymer type and before recycle (polymers being recycled) versus after recycle (application area for recycled polymers) 6 ................................................. 15 Figure 12. Network analysis diagram of granted plastic recycling patents 5 ............................................. 17 Figure 13. Network analysis diagram of plastic recycling start‐up companies 5 ........................................ 18 Figure 14.