Around the world, green is considered the color of new beginnings, of growth, of life. However, finding truly „green“ pigments is a challenge: cadmium, cobalt, copper and other heavy metals can be dangerous, while natural earth colors are less durable and more difficult to process. Nevertheless, the outlook for manufacturers and distributors of these small, coloring particles is predominantly positive: global demand for pigments will increase to around 14.5 million tonnes per year by 2032, according to the latest, eighth Ceresana report on the global market for pigments.
The construction industry is the main customer for pigments
By far the most important sales market for the pigment industry is the paints and coatings application area, which currently consumes around 5 million tonnes of pigments per year. Around 2.5 million tonnes of this is accounted for by interior and exterior paints for the construction industry. Pigments can take on different functions in coatings for industrial products: Decoration, protection against environmental impact, but also electrical insulation for electrical items or oxygen barriers for food packaging. There are major regional differences in the use of pigments, which is why Ceresana’s current market study examines the individual application areas „paints and coatings“, „plastics“ and „printing inks“ in detail, along with their respective submarkets.
Colorful plastics, building materials, printing inks
Plastics are the second largest area of application for pigments. Around 1.4 million tonnes of pigments are used every year for rigid and flexible packaging alone. Pigments are also used for numerous industrial plastic products, for example for components in the automotive industry. They are followed by construction materials, printing inks and paper. In the case of printing inks, the use of pigments in offset printing predominates with a share of 51%, ahead of flexo printing, which is primarily used for labels, corrugated cardboard, films and packaging. In contrast, soluble dyes and dyes are used instead of pigments for coloring liquids, such as textiles or inks. However, some natural dyes, for example from madder plants, scale insects or purple snails, can be processed into pigments for paints.
Titanium dioxide, iron oxides and carbon black sell the best
Organic paints and eco-paints use non-toxic natural and mineral pigments, animal and plant dyes that contain no heavy metals and do not emit radioactivity. Organic pigments can be produced in part from biogenic materials – but currently only account for a small share of the global pigment market. The best-selling pigment types are inorganic pigments, especially metal salts. Around 60% of total pigment demand is accounted for by the white pigment titanium dioxide (TiO2), which is mainly used for paints and coatings. The environmental and health effects of titanium dioxide are controversial; toxic dilute acid is produced during the manufacturing process. Iron oxide pigments, the most widely used inorganic color pigments, come in second, followed by carbon black. Carbon black is not only used as a filler for car tires and other rubber applications, but also as a black pigment. This lamp black is mainly used for printing inks, paints and coatings, but also as UV protection for plastics.
Current Market Study “Pigments – World” (8th edition):
Chapter 1 provides a description and analysis of the global pigments market – including forecasts up to 2032: The development of revenues, demand, and production is detailed for each region of the world. Demand is given for the various types of pigments: Titanium dioxide, Carbon Black, Iron oxide, Other inorganic pigments, Organic pigments. Moreover, the different application areas of pigments are examined. The following are considered individually, broken down into the submarkets: Paints and coatings (construction industry, transportation, industry, other paints and coatings), Plastics (packaging, construction industry, industry, other plastic applications), Paper, Construction materials, Printing inks (offset printing, flexo printing, other printing processes), Other application areas.
Chapter 2 analyzes the 31 countries with the largest national pigment markets in detail in terms of demand for, export, import, and production of, as well as revenues generated with pigments. The data regarding the demand per country is split by pigment types and application areas. In addition, demand for the individual pigment types per application area is presented.
Chapter 3 offers a clearly arranged directory of the 62 most important pigment manufacturers, including contact details and relevant company data such as revenues, profit, product range, and production sites. The manufacturers presented with company profiles include, for example, Altana AG, DIC Corporation, Heubach GmbH, Lanxess AG, Merck KGaA, SCR-Sibelco N.V., Venator Materials Plc, and Vibrantz Technologies.
Further information about the 8th edition of the market study “Pigments – World”: https://ceresana.com/en/produkt/pigments-market-report
About Ceresana
As one of the world’s leading market research institutes, Ceresana specializes in the chemicals, plastics, packaging, and industrial goods sectors. Special focus areas are bio-economy and automotive / mobility. Since 2002, companies have benefited from high-quality industry analyses and forecasts. Over 250 market studies provide more than 10,000 clients around the world with the knowledge base for sustainable success.
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