
As per a recently published research report, South East Asia has emerged as the global leader in plastics consumption, with over 50 million tons consumption of plastics in 2004, overtaking USA as well as Europe. Asia is also leading growth in the market for thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). The consumption of TPU was 357,100 tonnes in 2004, with Asia accounting for just over 50% of demand, Europe 27% and the Americas, the remainder.