Washington D.C.— The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has published the Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES) report for the Second Quarter of 2025, authored by Chief Economist Dr. Perc Pineda. Despite ongoing uncertainty in global trade policy, the report reveals growth in shipment data compared to both the previous quarter and the same period in 2024.
“Shipments stopped falling in the second quarter. In fact, comparing the first half of 2025 to the same period in 2024, shipments increased by 3.5%. It seems the plastics industry had a better handle on ongoing trade and tariff challenges across the value chain in the second quarter compared to the first,” said PLASTICS Chief Economist Perc Pineda, PhD.
Still, high tariff rates remain a concern. “If the overarching goal is to strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness—a goal the plastics industry fully supports—then, in the short term, the industry should be able to import production inputs and equipment no longer made in the U.S. at lower tariff rates,” Pineda added.
Click here to read the report.
The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) supports the entire plastics supply chain, including Equipment Suppliers, Material Suppliers, Processors, and Recyclers, representing over one million workers in our $519 billion U.S. industry. PLASTICS advances the priorities of our members who are dedicated to investing in technologies that improve capabilities and advances in recycling and sustainability and providing essential products that allow for the protection and safety of our lives. Since 1937, PLASTICS has been working to make its members, and the eighth largest U.S. manufacturing industry, more globally competitive while supporting circularity through educational initiatives, industry-leading insights and events, convening opportunities and policy advocacy, including the largest plastics trade show in the Americas, NPE: The Plastics Show.
