Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Ramping up recycling
Sustainability | Chemicals
June 16, 2022 – Advanced recycling expands the types of plastics that can be recycled, allowing for the creation of polymers that can be reformed and reused. If existing constraints were resolved, advanced recycling could meet up to 8 percent of polymer demand by the end of the decade, providing investment opportunities of more than $40 billion.
To read the article, see “Advanced recycling: Opportunities for growth,” May 16, 2022.
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Visual form
Two-panel stacked bar chart.
Layout / body structure
The chart is arranged as a left panel for total polymer demand and a right panel for category share, with an investment strip running across the bottom. Read left to right across the three time points in each panel, then finish on the investment figures below.
What is being compared
Both panels compare the years 2020, 2030, and 2040 across three supply categories: virgin polymer, advanced recycling, and mechanical recycling.
Measurement system
The left panel uses million metric tons per year for total demand, the right panel uses percent share by category, and the bottom strip uses dollars in billions for investment in advanced recycling. The blue legend separates mechanical, advanced, and virgin supply.
Visible structure inside the graphic
Each panel uses three stacked vertical columns. On the left, the columns are labeled about 350, about 500, and about 700 total million metric tons. On the right, each stack is labeled inside the segments, showing virgin at 93 in 2020, 80 to 85 in 2030, and 70 to 80 in 2040, with mechanical and advanced slices layered above.
Main takeaway from the visual
The chart shows polymer demand climbing strongly while recycled content takes a larger share of the mix over time. Virgin material still dominates, but both mechanical and advanced recycling expand meaningfully by 2030 and 2040.
Key standout values or extremes
Total demand rises from about 350 million metric tons in 2020 to about 500 in 2030 and about 700 in 2040. Mechanical recycling grows from 7 percent to 10 to 13 percent and then 13 to 20 percent, advanced recycling reaches 4 to 8 percent in 2030 and 6 to 10 percent in 2040, and the investment strip shows more than $40 billion by 2030 and more than $90 billion by 2040.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.