UNCTAD data show non-plastic substitute trade reaches $484 billion as developing economies raise share

Traders Union
All News
Financial Institutions
Non-plastic substitutes trade

Highlights

Global exports of non-plastic substitutes reached $484 billion in 2024, 14% below the 2022 peak, amid rising regulatory and sustainability pressures.
Developing economies increased their share of non-plastic substitute exports from about 25% in 2005 to 42% in 2024, with value-added products accounting for $170 billion.
UNCTAD's new data series, launched during 2024 plastics treaty talks, underpins regional policy shifts and is shaping international regulatory discussions and standard-setting.

Trade flows highlight shift toward alternative materials

As reported by UNCTAD, global exports of plastics have more than doubled in value since 2005, adding to waste management and environmental sustainability challenges, while exports of non-plastic substitutes reach $484 billion in 2024, 14% below their 2022 peak.

UNCTAD says the expansion of sustainable, safe, environmentally friendly and affordable substitutes to conventional plastics can help reduce pollution at source and create trade openings for developing economies. It adds that the environmental benefits still depend on how these materials are produced, used and disposed of.

Pressure to move away from conventional plastics is growing, driven by regulation, sustainability targets and price swings. The main alternatives include paper, glass, natural fibres, minerals and seaweed-based products.

UNCTAD launched its data series during the 2024 plastics treaty negotiations in Busan, with support from the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution Programme, to track trade in products that can replace plastics.

Developing economies seek more value from substitutes

Developed economies account for 58% of global exports of non-plastic substitutes in 2024, while developing economies hold the remaining 42%, up from roughly a quarter in 2005. Raw materials make up nearly two thirds of global trade in these substitutes, while value-added products represent 35%, or $170 billion of the $484 billion total.

UNCTAD says greater value addition could help developing economies diversify exports, strengthen domestic production capabilities and retain more value from the sustainable and responsible use of natural resources. In Kenya, an SMEP-supported pilot turns 3,300 tonnes of pineapple leaves that were previously burned into more than 100 tonnes of textile-grade fibre.

Regional policy work is also advancing. In East Africa, a bill to control single-use plastics is under development, and UNCTAD says its evidence and engagement help the East African Community build a coordinated regulatory approach; in West Africa, Ghana is moving toward adopting a national blueprint for substitutes with support from the UK-funded SMEP Programme.

Upcoming UNCTAD activities include the second East Africa Alternative Fibres Symposium, an OECD-UNCTAD workshop on standards for sustainable plastic alternatives on 26 November at the WTO in Geneva, and joint input with UNEP into Basel Convention discussions on used textiles and textile waste and the UN Water Conference on 8 to 10 December. The agency says its plastics and substitutes trade databases have already informed discussions at the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and the plastics treaty negotiations.

Our earlier coverage of the WTO’s warning on conflict-driven trade disruption explained how wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are pushing companies to redesign supply chains and shipping routes for resilience, even at higher cost. We noted that the WTO expected a sharp 2024 trade contraction in the Middle East and argued that repeated shocks, tariffs, and geopolitical fragmentation could make these route and sourcing changes more lasting while regional trade gains help cushion wider risks.

This material may contain third-party opinions, none of the data and information on this webpage constitutes investment advice according to our Disclaimer. While we adhere to strict Editorial Integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners.