Plastic Economies: Power, Politics, and Ecological Futures Across the ‘East-East’ Petrochemical Circuit

As the key raw material in the production of plastics and other synthetic commodities, petroleum-derived chemicals form the basis of our material existence. Industry spokespeople state that petrochemicals are ‘the future of oil’, yet debates around fossil fuels overwhelmingly focus on energy and transport, while ignoring the importance of petrochemicals. At the same time, the centre of the global petrochemical industry has shifted towards the Middle East and East Asia. A new ‘East-East’ Petrochemical Circuit (EEPC) binds together these regions, administered by large, vertically-integrated firms controlling each step of petrochemical production and consumption. Addressing the ‘petrochemicals blindspot’ – and building upon calls to move away from techno-scientific approaches to the study of fossil fuels – this project investigates what the rapidly changing geographies of the petrochemical industry mean for a global Green Transition.