Rising Plastic Prices From Iran War Push Asia Toward Green Packaging
The Middle East conflict is disrupting Asia’s plastic packaging industry but the shortage is also creating winners. Companies are seeing rising demand for eco-friendly alternatives like paper, which could help Asia toward a more sustainable future.
REPORTER:
A country renowned for its beauty industry, South Korea is seeing its vital packaging industry squeezed.
At this factory in Pyeongtaek, machines have stopped mid-production.
A plastic shortage, tied to the Middle East conflict, is disrupting the supply of everything from plastic bags to face masks.
Han Kyung-hun (SALES TEAM MANAGER, GAONE INTERNATIONAL):
The most tangible change we're feeling is the rise in raw material prices and delays in supply, which have put us in a position where we can't manufacture our products.
REPORTER:
The war has pushed plastic prices to multi-year highs. Factories like this one warn of weeks-long delays.
But the shortage is also creating winners. Demand for alternatives that don’t rely on petroleum is rising fast.
Kim Min-sang (SENIOR MANAGER, KOLMAR KOREA):
As plastic supplies have tightened due to the U.S.–Iran situation, inquiries for paper-based alternatives have increased threefold. Approximately 70% of the demand is for paper tubes used in sunscreens, essences, and lotions, followed by paper sticks and pouches.
REPORTER:
The shift also reflects long-standing environmental concerns.
Asia is home to the most plastic users AND polluters in the world.
The European Union called for a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution last year, but it stalled after the US and plastic-producing countries pushed back.
Trump's sweeping trade tariffs were also a blow for sustainable companies like Taiwan's Lastic — which makes bamboo-based biodegradable material.
Now, supply shocks are forcing change.
Lee Jin-won (UNIVERSITY STUDENT):
As more people around the world use plastic, I think (companies') initiatives to cut plastic and use more sustainable materials will benefit the environment, particularly given the growing severity of global plastic waste.
Anna Sodergran (SWEDISH TOURIST):
I think Western tourists would absolutely be interested in more eco-friendly packaging in cosmetics, and celebrities could endorse it as well. And a lot of people in the West now love K-Pop and K-Dramas, so actors and musicians could absolutely endorse more eco-friendly packaging.
REPORTER:
A crisis in one region is now reshaping how products are packaged in another part of the world.
And if disruptions persist, Asia’s shift toward alternatives may come sooner than expected.
