PLASTICS Economic Analysis: Tariffs, Inflation, and Plastics

Washington, D.C. — The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) Chief Economist, Dr. Perc Pineda, has released a new economic analysis examining the impact of shifting global trade dynamics. As ongoing trade negotiations continue to create uncertainty, Dr. Pineda’s report explores how global trade policies are influencing consumer prices and the potential implications for the U.S. plastics industry and the broader manufacturing sector.

“The analysis underscores the complexity of how tariffs influence inflation, highlighting that their effects are neither immediate nor uniform across sectors,” Dr. Pineda writes. “While some categories show modest price increases, others remain stable or even decline, reflecting the interplay of supply chain structures, demand conditions, and strategic business responses. In industries like plastics, where domestic production capacity exists, price pressures have remained contained despite evolving trade policies. Ultimately, the inflationary impact of tariffs depends less on their nominal rate and more on how businesses choose to absorb, pass on, or strategically manage those costs in a competitive market environment.”

Click here to read the full analysis on the PLASTICS blog.

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.