as a result of urbanization, growing energy demands, climate change and technological advances. The material is favored for its flexibility, lightweight, durability, strength and ease of processing. Globally, the pack- aging industry remains the largest end-user of plastics (37 percent), followed by building and construction (21 percent), automotive manufacturing (8 percent) and electronics manufactur- ing (6 percent). Asia has been the world’s largest plastics consumer for several years, accounting for about 36.5 percent of global consumption (North America’s share is 26 percent and Western Europe 23 percent).