Mexico plastics industry economic contribution and Plastimagen 2026, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico): The plastics sector contributes 3.1% of Mexico’s industrial GDP, with a value of 375,000 million pesos (just over 18,000 million euros), according to a publisher report on a press conference previewing Plastimagen, the country’s main industry trade fair.
Benjamín del Arco Ortiz, president of the National Association of Plastics Industries (ANIPAC), the fair’s organizer, said the industry is present in food packaging, vehicle components, medical devices, infrastructure, construction, electronics and nearly every aspect of daily life. He noted that the automotive sector accounts for about 9% of plastic consumed but stands out for job creation, while packaging and containers account for roughly 44% of activity.
ANIPAC also reported that more than 1.5 million tons of plastic are recycled each year and that 544 Mexican companies work in recycling. By source, post-consumer waste from individuals makes up 47% of flows, followed by business waste at 35%, especially from the automotive industry, and Mexico leads in PET collection rate at 63%.
On foreign trade, Mexico imports slightly more than 4 million tons of plastic products and exports 3 million tons, producing a trade deficit of more than US$9,659 million in plastic products. The report said this underscores the need to strengthen productive, technological and innovation capacities and to develop new materials.
The report also points to the implementation of the General Law of the Circular Economy and the forthcoming publication of its regulations as an opportunity to promote innovation, eco-design, traceability and cross-sector collaboration. The industry comprises more than 6,000 companies, 78% of them small and medium enterprises, many of them family-owned, and generates more than one million jobs, mainly in automotive parts, industrial products, bags and plastic films.
Geographically, the industry is concentrated in the central region and the Bajío, with some activity in the Pacific area, and Querétaro is highlighted as a center of significant plastics industry development. The report is a publisher article and has not been independently verified.
