Plastic construction materials consumption rises to USD 7.3 billion

Plastic building materials used in the construction sector across many applications—from doors to pipes, windows to insulation systems—are increasingly preferred each day for their long service life, cost advantages, heat resistance, energy savings and environmental properties. Construction plastics, which rank second within the plastics sector with a 22% share, reached 1.9 million tonnes by volume in 2015 with a 4.3% increase and USD 8.3 billion by value with a 6.8% increase. Accelerating urban renewal projects covering nearly 10 million housing units have also driven momentum in the sector. Construction, one of the locomotive sectors of Turkey's economy, is driving growth in numerous subsectors alongside it. With their long service life, heat resistance, cost advantages, energy savings and environmental properties, plastics are rapidly advancing their position among materials used in the construction sector. Doors, pipe systems, hoses, ceiling and wall coverings, bathroom and kitchen sinks and windows are now increasingly being made from plastics. The Turkish Plastics Manufacturers' Research, Development and Training Foundation (PAGEV) presented the sector's 2015 performance in its report on construction plastics, which ranks as the plastics sector's second-largest product category after packaging.

Primary applications of plastic materials in the building sector;

Pipes, insulation systems, wall coverings and floor coverings, and PVC window profiles are listed as the main applications. Plastics maintain their durability throughout their service life and require no maintenance, thereby creating cost advantages. In addition to resource savings, the recovery of materials used in monoplastic building products such as potable and wastewater pipes and window frames at the end of their useful life demonstrates plastics' environmental properties once again. Plastics, which can be recycled multiple times, create economic value through these characteristics. Interior plastics, preferred in doors, baseboards, floor coverings, cable ducts, railings, coverings and interior decoration, account for 8% of total plastic consumption in the construction industry. On external facades, extruded rigid profiles appear as shutters, cladding, fencing and railings. Plastics rank first in material selection for insulation and sheet applications, improving quality of life through their contribution to thermal and sound insulation.

Plastic use in Turkish construction increased 16.4% by volume

According to PAGEV's 2015 construction plastics sector monitoring report, 697 companies operating in Turkey's plastic construction materials sector produce over 60 different product types. The materials where producer companies concentrate most are: profiles, potable water pipes, wastewater pipes, pipe fittings, window systems, bathroom and kitchen sinks and hoses. In 2015, Turkey produced 1.9 million tonnes of construction plastics by volume, a 4.3% increase compared to the previous year, and USD 8.3 billion by value, a 6.8% increase. Plastic building materials maintained their 22% share in total plastics production by value in 2015. In 2015, plastic construction materials exports compared to 2014 declined to 589,000 tonnes by volume, a 16.1% decrease, and USD 1.4 billion by value, a 21.7% decline. Turkey holds a net exporter position in plastic construction materials foreign trade. The top five countries for plastic construction materials exported to over 150 countries were: Iraq, Azerbaijan, Libya, Georgia and the Russian Federation.

Urban renewal drives plastic construction materials consumption…

Domestic plastic construction materials consumption reached 1.37 million tonnes by volume in 2015, a 16.4% increase, and USD 7.3 billion by value, a 14.7% increase. Noting that the plastic construction materials sector's domestic market-focused growth in 2015 and that rising domestic consumption despite declining exports brought growth to the sector, PAGEV Board Chairman Yavuz Eroğlu stated: "In recent years, the construction sector in our country is growing rapidly. This growth in the sector has a positive impact on supplier industries. Plastic materials are now among the most preferred products due to their advantages in all construction projects—from residential buildings to shopping centres, hospitals to schools. Thus our sector achieved significant success in 2015 with 16.4% growth in domestic consumption by volume and 14.7% growth by value. Urban renewal projects in particular have accelerated growth in construction plastics. Attention to energy savings in new buildings has led to greater use of plastic insulation materials. We believe this successful progress will continue in 2016. The macroeconomic and political environment, financing conditions, legal regulations, urban renewal, mega projects, demographic structure in the domestic market along with rapid urbanization and increasing domestic content will be the factors driving this growth," he said.