IAL Consultants is pleased to announce the recent publication of the 16th edition of its report on the markets for Polyurethane Chemicals and Products in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
This new study updates and expands upon the information included in our previous study published in 2022. The information contained within this report is based upon an extensive programme of interviews throughout the industry. The report contains both PU product production and raw material consumption figures, with 2022 as the base year and market forecasts provided to 2027.
The data is also available separately in a database format for subscribers, enabling the manipulation and output of data.
IAL is continuously striving to improve its products. In the 2023 report, there is further regional segmentation for rigid foam (when applicable), which is now split into:
This is on top of our further segmentation of flexible slabstock foam into:
The report is presented in eight volumes. The titles of all eight volumes are:
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Volume 1 – Raw Materials |
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Volume 2 – Flexible Foam |
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Volume 3 – Rigid Foam |
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Volume 4 – Coatings |
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Volume 5 – Adhesives & Sealants |
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Volume 6 – Elastomers |
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Volume 7 – Binders |
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Volume 8 – End-Use Markets |
The market for polyurethanes has experienced several challenging years in the EMEA region. Production declined by 6.4% in 2020 but recovered somewhat in 2021 with 3.1% growth. Economic and political issues, not least the Russia-Ukraine conflict, caused a decline in production in 2022. Overall, output dropped by 5.2% in the EMEA region, and a further decline of 1.7% is anticipated for 2023.
Pre-pandemic production is not expected to be regained until the end of the forecast period, in 2027. Growth rates should return to 2-3% p.a. by 2024, if the situation does not worsen from the time of publication.
Historically, flexible foam has been the largest end-use segment, but due to slow growth rates in recent years, rigid foam is now the largest market for PU products in EMEA. Both product types together represent 66% of the overall market. Binders account for the smallest share of PU production.
The total production of polyurethane products in the EMEA region was 6.09 million tonnes in 2022, representing a decline of 5.2%. There were many contributing factors, including the conflict in Ukraine, energy crisis, high inflation, rising interest rates and weakening confidence. The situation for 2023 remains highly fluid and uncertain.