Plastics in the UK

The UK is the birthplace of plastics, with the first man-made plastic, Parkesine, being patented in 1856.

The UK has a strong chemicals industry that is a highly valued part of the UK’s accessible supply chain. There is an abundance of end markets in the UK, including a world-leading automotive sector as well as a sophisticated and highly evolved retail sector.

Export is also hugely important for the UK plastics industry. It exports plastic products and materials worth £9.6bn each year. Out of the BPF’s members, 80% are exporters. The plastics industry is the UK’s third largest manufacturing sector in terms of employment, with 5,800 companies employing over 162,000 people.

Industry turnover increased since 2010 and is now £27bn. This figure includes manufacturers of raw materials, plastic products, equipment suppliers and recyclers.

In recent years, the UK plastics industry has been shown to be one of the most productive in Europe when benchmarked against the leading five economies. What’s more, productivity is increasing year on year, with the industry continuing to invest significantly in energy-efficient machinery and automation.