About the industry

Canada’s chemistry and plastics industry transform raw materials into the building blocks needed to manufacture the products that enable our modern lives.

From wind turbines and solar panels, to vehicles and electronics, to medical equipment, clean drinking water, textiles and building materials; chemistry and plastics are vital to our economy and ensure a safe, high-quality of life for all Canadians while creating some of the lowest GHG-intensive products on the planet..

70 000

different products Canadians use every day are made with chemistry and plastics

3rd largest

manufacturing sector in Canada

95%

of all manufactured products are made with chemistry and plastics

Responsible for $93 billion in shipments of chemistry and plastics products in 2021

$64 billion

in chemistry

$29 billion

in plastics

The chemistry and plastics industry are responsible for 173 200 Canadian jobs

78 500

in chemistry

94 700

in plastics

~200

CIAC represents nearly 200 members and partners in the Canadian chemistry and plastics sectors

67%

Canada’s chemistry sector has reduced its CO2 emissions on an absolute basis by 67% since 1992

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