Plastics in Bangladesh

According to a study conducted by the United Nations Commission for Economic and Social Affairs in Asia and the Pacific, revenues from the plastics industry in Bangladesh should reach 2 billion dollars by the end of 2015 and 4 billion dollars in 2020. The study predicts that the country will direct its resources mainly to three macro-sectors: infrastructure, waste management and recycling, and competency enhancement for industrial operators. In the intentions of the local government, the capital Dhaka will play a pivotal role in the development of plans to revitalize the plastics sector.
Currently, the value of production of plastic goods is in the neighbourhood of one billion dollars, almost three-quarters of which are sold on the domestic market. This production involves some 3,000 companies and a workforce (direct and indirect) of over 2 million people. Per capita annual consumption in Bangladesh is among the lowest in the world (approximately 2 kg, as opposed to a world average of 80 kg). The plastics recycling sector includes some 300 small companies recycling a total of almost 140 tons of plastic per day.