- Joëlle Noreau
Principal Economist
Perspective
The Rubber and Plastic Industry: Providing Production Inputs and Food for Thought
June 28, 2022
Rubber and plastic products are everywhere. There are hundreds of different kinds of plastic, and we have a love–hate relationship with them. We love them for their versatility and functionality, but hate them because they seem to last forever and are hard to dispose of. But their utility has been on display during the pandemic. In 2021, GDP, employment, wages and other economic indicators grew faster in the rubber and plastic industry than in the manufacturing sector as a whole. So what’s in store for this industry over the next year? It’ll be a time of change, that’s for sure. And not just because of labour shortages, technological advances and resin costs. Demand is shifting, so the industry will have to change how it operates.