An Absolute Boom for Alberta: Demand for Plastics from Alberta's Petrochemical Industry

[Anonymous]

The global oil crash has gutted much of Alberta's economy but there is one sector experiencing a surge: the province's petrochemical industry



https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/an-absolute-boom-is-plastic-fantastic-again-in-the-age-of-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR3erAnqqynrHpsHo_ZxKsCM0h56n-o8RWRlOOlOzy1Reqa68K3gNC8FVfs">https://business.financialpost.com/comm ... K3gNC8FVfs">https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/an-absolute-boom-is-plastic-fantastic-again-in-the-age-of-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR3erAnqqynrHpsHo_ZxKsCM0h56n-o8RWRlOOlOzy1Reqa68K3gNC8FVfs

CALGARY — Fears of coronavirus contagion and depressed commodity prices have gutted much of Alberta's economy but there is one sector experiencing a surge: the province's petrochemical sector, which produces a range of plastic inputs used in medical devices and packaging of everyday goods.

 

Nova and competitor Dow Inc. operate ethane-cracking petrochemical plants in Alberta that produce polyethylene, which is a plastic product used to make a range of products ranging from plastic wrap and packaging to medical devices. Key plastic ingredients are natural gas and chemicals derived from natural gas processing and crude oil refining.



Now, in the middle of a public health crisis, the demand for plastic packaging has exploded. In Alberta's oilpatch, ethane crackers used to make polyethylene film are among the only facilities that are busier today than before the pandemic knocked out global oil demand and led to hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil being shut in.



"The demand for plastic packaging has never been higher than it is right now," said Bob Masterson, president and CEO of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada, noting that the evidence of the huge demand for the industry's products is plain at any grocery store in the country.



Some grocery stores that had previously banned or started charging for plastic bags have eased those policies as workers are concerned about handling re-usable grocery bags. Acrylic plastic shields have been installed at tills to separate cashiers from shoppers, both of whom are wearing plastic gloves and masks in increasing numbers.



Plastic is being wrapped around items that had previously never been packaged.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Right now, there is a record high demand for single-use plastics and packaging, and Alberta's petrochemical industry is a leader in meeting that demand.



These products are being used in a variety of fields such as medical, food processing and e-commerce.



Plastic packaging is protecting Albertans and Canadians from COVID-19 and building up the value chain in our oil and gas industry.

[Anonymous]

We are not India, China or every country in Africa. Our plastics don't end up in oceans.



We use plastics for hygiene purposes. Without plastic packaging, germs spread.

[Anonymous]

I think plastic bags in grocery stores will stick around for a long time.

[Vancouver]

We use plastics for hygiene purposes. Without plastic packaging, germs spread.

I need plastic bags to pick up dog poop. Plasric water bottles to rinse my hands.

[Anonymous]

We use plastics for hygiene purposes. Without plastic packaging, germs spread.

I need plastic bags to pick up dog poop. Plasric water bottles to rinse my hands.

You are a responsible pet owner.

 

[Wienie]

Coastal Gas Link from the Dawson Creek to Kitimat is kind of taking the sails out of any attempt for that plastic dream Herman. It's going ahead, the infrastructure is being put in place. I was over there in early March. BC gas going to Asia and they'll be making those plastic water bottles and shipping them back. Sorry about that Alberta.

[kiebers]

Nature of the beast. Worked next door to a company that supplied the rail industry with gaskets, hatch covers, gates etc for hauling plastics. When our business (specialty metals for down hole tooling) was booming because the oil prices were up, theirs was slow, when the oil prices were low they were booming and we were slow. Just the way things always worked.

[Anonymous]

Coastal Gas Link from the Dawson Creek to Kitimat is kind of taking the sails out of any attempt for that plastic dream Herman. It's going ahead, the infrastructure is being put in place. I was over there in early March. BC gas going to Asia and they'll be making those plastic water bottles and shipping them back. Sorry about that Alberta.

Coastal Gas is not online and won't be anytime soon..



We produce most of our raw materials for plastics at our chemical plants and they can't keep up with the orders..



An Edmonton-based plastic producer is working seven days a week to keep up with the demand for protective barriers for retail spaces, as businesses work to protect workers from COVID-19.



Plastics Plus Ltd. has seen a major surge in demand for the guards from both big-chain and local stores.



"It's just been a wave that's hit us with these sneeze guards," Doug Popowich, president of Plastics Plus Ltd., said.

https://globalnews.ca/news/6763757/edmonton-plastics-company-sneeze-guards-covid-19/">https://globalnews.ca/news/6763757/edmo ... -covid-19/">https://globalnews.ca/news/6763757/edmonton-plastics-company-sneeze-guards-covid-19/

[Anonymous]

The plastics industry that is currently experiencing a boom is centred around the food and beverage industry including groceries and unlike industrial plastics, it is almost entirely produced domestically. There are roughly 2600 establishments in Canada employing over 82,000 workers had as their principal activity the processing of synthetic resins into plastic products.



The plastics processing industry is characterized by a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are almost all Canadian-owned and a few large firms, an estimated 60 percent of which are Canadian-owned. Overall, it is estimated this industry is 95 percent Canadian-owned.

[Anonymous]

The plastics industry that is currently experiencing a boom is centred around the food and beverage industry including groceries and unlike industrial plastics, it is almost entirely produced domestically. There are roughly 2600 establishments in Canada employing over 82,000 workers had as their principal activity the processing of synthetic resins into plastic products.



The plastics processing industry is characterized by a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are almost all Canadian-owned and a few large firms, an estimated 60 percent of which are Canadian-owned. Overall, it is estimated this industry is 95 percent Canadian-owned.

That progtard Vancouverite creams his panties at the thought of Canadian industrial jobs going overseas. Good job schooling the latte sipping urban fag retard.

[Gaon]

The global oil crash has gutted much of Alberta's economy but there is one sector experiencing a surge: the province's petrochemical industry



https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/an-absolute-boom-is-plastic-fantastic-again-in-the-age-of-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR3erAnqqynrHpsHo_ZxKsCM0h56n-o8RWRlOOlOzy1Reqa68K3gNC8FVfs">https://business.financialpost.com/comm ... K3gNC8FVfs">https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/an-absolute-boom-is-plastic-fantastic-again-in-the-age-of-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR3erAnqqynrHpsHo_ZxKsCM0h56n-o8RWRlOOlOzy1Reqa68K3gNC8FVfs

CALGARY — Fears of coronavirus contagion and depressed commodity prices have gutted much of Alberta's economy but there is one sector experiencing a surge: the province's petrochemical sector, which produces a range of plastic inputs used in medical devices and packaging of everyday goods.

 

Nova and competitor Dow Inc. operate ethane-cracking petrochemical plants in Alberta that produce polyethylene, which is a plastic product used to make a range of products ranging from plastic wrap and packaging to medical devices. Key plastic ingredients are natural gas and chemicals derived from natural gas processing and crude oil refining.



Now, in the middle of a public health crisis, the demand for plastic packaging has exploded. In Alberta's oilpatch, ethane crackers used to make polyethylene film are among the only facilities that are busier today than before the pandemic knocked out global oil demand and led to hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil being shut in.



"The demand for plastic packaging has never been higher than it is right now," said Bob Masterson, president and CEO of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada, noting that the evidence of the huge demand for the industry's products is plain at any grocery store in the country.



Some grocery stores that had previously banned or started charging for plastic bags have eased those policies as workers are concerned about handling re-usable grocery bags. Acrylic plastic shields have been installed at tills to separate cashiers from shoppers, both of whom are wearing plastic gloves and masks in increasing numbers.



Plastic is being wrapped around items that had previously never been packaged.

It's good to read that at least some people are working in Canada.