Slower PP growth adds to over capacity problems. [2 figures in original article].

US consulting firm Townsend Solutions predicts worldwide polypropylene (PP) consumption will likely expand by less than 1% in 2009, following a steep decline in 2008 brought about by the global economic downturn. Worldwide PP use reached 45.5 M tonnes in 2008, lower by 1.4 M tonnes from 2007. PP consumption is forecast to grow by 3.7%/y on average through 2014. Average global PP output capacity is projected to expand from 52.0 M tonnes in 2008 to 69.1 M tonnes in 2013. The Townsend report identifies 17.2 M tonnes of proposed PP capability additions during 2009-2013. Of the total, a projected 5.8 M tonnes of capacity is in China, 4.98 M …