Antimicrobial Plastics Market by Additive (Inorganic, Organic), Type (Commodity Plastics, Engineering Plastics, High-Performance Plastics), Application and Region (APAC, North America, Europe, MEA, South America) - Global Forecast to 2026

Antimicrobial Plastics Market by Additive (Inorganic, Organic), Type (Commodity Plastics, Engineering Plastics, High-Performance Plastics), Application and Region (APAC, North America, Europe, MEA, South America) - Global Forecast to 2026

The antimicrobial plastics market is projected to reach USD 66.7 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 10.8% from USD 40.0 billion in 2021. Increasing demand from applications such as medical and healthcare, packaging, and consumer goods; and consumer awareness pertaining to the importance of antimicrobial plastics are the major factors attributed to the market's growth. However, volatility in raw material prices and government regulations on the usage of plastics in certain applications are hampering market growth. Additionally, the growth of the textile industry is expected to offer lucrative opportunities for the market players.

“The inorganic additive is the largest additive of antimicrobial plastics for antimicrobial plastics market in 2020”

Silver is the most commonly used inorganic antimicrobial additive. It is non-toxic, environmentally friendly, sustainable, and has excellent safety. Silver ion is the active ingredient in silver antimicrobials. It is permanent and has high thermal stability. Silver can be incorporated into a wide variety of polymer and textile industries without changing the product aesthetics. There is a higher demand for inorganic antimicrobial additives mainly due to their non-volatile nature, high thermal stability, and widespread applications. Inorganic antimicrobial additives are widely used in the healthcare, packaging, and construction industries.

“Commodity plastics is estimated to be the type of antimicrobial plastics market between 2021 and 2026.”

The overall antimicrobial commodity plastics market accounted for the largest share, in terms of value and volume, in 2020. The higher demand for commodity plastics is primarily attributed to its relatively low cost of production and its increasing use in various applications, such as consumer goods, packaging, and medical and healthcare. Commodity plastics are the most common plastics used in different application areas, mainly due to their cost and properties suitable for applications. On the other hand, high-performance plastics find application in specific segments, where the certain functionalities of plastics are required to sustain in extreme conditions.

“Medical & Healthcare is estimated to be the largest application of antimicrobial plastics market in 2020.”

The medical & healthcare segment is estimated to be the largest application of the antimicrobial plastics market during the forecast period owing to the heightened demand for antimicrobial plastics driven by growing consumer awareness about personal hygiene and health-related issues. Due to COVID-19 at the beginning of 2020, the awareness among manufacturers and consumers for the usage of antimicrobial plastics has increased. This has resulted in more demand for these plastics in different applications industries, specifically the medical and healthcare industry.

“Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest antimicrobial plastics market during the forecast period, in terms of value.”

Asia Pacific is the largest antimicrobial plastics market. The increasing population and rapid urbanization in key countries, such as China and India, contribute to the growth of the antimicrobial plastics market. The region is estimated to be the largest, owing to the emerging players in the region and burgeoning demand from industries such as packaging, consumer goods, and automotive. Although Asia Pacific is the largest market, mature and developed regions such as North America and Europe also account for a considerable share in the global antimicrobial plastics market. Factors such as awareness towards personal hygiene and stringent regulations drive the antimicrobial plastics market in North America and Europe.

In the process of determining and verifying the market size for several segments and subsegments identified through secondary research, extensive primary interviews were conducted. A breakdown of the profiles of the primary interviewees are as follows:
By Company Type: Tier 1 - 45%, Tier 2 - 30%, and Tier 3 - 25%
By Designation: C-Level - 46%, Director Level - 25%, and Others - 29%
By Region: North America - 27%, Europe - 27%, Asia Pacific - 33%, South America - 7%, and Middle East & Africa - 6%,

The key market players profiled in the report include DuPont De Nemours Inc. (US), BASF SE (Germany), Microban International (US), Sanitized AG (Switzerland), BioCote Limited (UK), Avient Corporation (US), King Plastic Corporation (US), Milliken Chemical (US), and Parx Plastics N.V (Netherlands).

Research Coverage

This report segments the market for antimicrobial plastics on the basis of additive, type, application, and region, and provides estimations for the overall value and volume of the market across various regions. A detailed analysis of key industry players has been conducted to provide insights into their business overviews, products & services, key strategies, new product launches, expansions, and mergers & acquisition associated with the market for antimicrobial plastics.

Reasons to buy this report

This research report is focused on various levels of analysis — industry analysis (industry trends), market ranking analysis of top players, and company profiles, which together provide an overall view on the competitive landscape; emerging and high-growth segments of the antimicrobial plastics market; high-growth regions; and market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:
Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on antimicrobial plastics offered by top players in the global antimicrobial plastics market
Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product launches in the antimicrobial plastics market
Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative emerging markets — the report analyzes the markets for antimicrobial plastics across regions
Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped regions, and recent developments in the global antimicrobial plastics market
Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of leading players in the antimicrobial plastics market
Impact of COVID-19 on antimicrobial plastics market