World Consumption of Additives

While the volume of additives worldwide increased by 6% from 1996 to 1998, value actually fell, by 1%, due to the Asian crisis. Trying to find some common ground between the best forecasts, it appears that the world additives market amounts to about 7.8 million tonnes, valued at about US 16 billion and is growing overall at about 3.5-4% per year. Fillers account for an estimated 50% by volume but in value they make up only 15% - and here lies the stimulus for much current development. 

Asia Pacific is the largest global user of additives, accounting for some 35% of demand, by value. North America and Europe are about equal, at 28 and 25%, respectively, while the rest of the world takes up the remaining 12%. 

There have been dramatic changes in the additives market. The research agency Townsend considers that the world market for performance additives (flame retardants, stabilizers, anti-oxidants, modifiers, and lubricants) today 

There is some agreement, however, over flame retardants, where forecasting agencies estimated the world market in 1996 at about 850 000 tonnes with a value of some US 2 billion, and the Western European sector inl995at316 000 tonnes. 

Additives with a significant value have a smaller volume, and so the next largest segment is probably plasticizers, which are estimated to account for 1 million tonnes in Europe alone, worth US 1.8 billion. Next are pigments and colorants, which might account for around 2 million tonnes worldwide - but it is unclear whether this figure includes titanium dioxide and carbon black (Rapra estimates the European colorants market at 728 000 tonnes, worth US 1.2 billion). 

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