Page 56 - Plastics News - April 2026

FEATURE NEWS
STRAIT OF HORMUZ CRISIS CHOKES PACKAGING SUPPLY
he Strait of Hormuz crisis is exposing how
closely packaging supply chains are tied
Tto global energy and shipping routes.
The Strait of Hormuz crisis is putting direct pres-
sure on packaging supply because the pack-
aging industry relies on the same energy and
chemical flows that move through the Gulf. The
strait is one of the world’s most important ship-
ping routes for oil.
In 2024, oil flows through Hormuz averaged
about 20 million barrels a day, equal to roughly
20% of global petroleum liquids consumption. A
large share of those flows went to Asian mar-
kets, which are also major buyers of plastics,
chemicals and packaged goods inputs.
That matters for packaging because many core
materials are tied to oil, gas and petrochemicals.
Plastic packaging starts with feedstocks such as
naphtha and other oil-linked inputs. Glass and al-
uminium packaging depend on energy-intensive
production.
When Hormuz traffic is disrupted, the effect
reaches well beyond fuel markets. Reuters has
reported that the current chokehold has driven
oil prices sharply higher and disrupted tanker
traffic, while trade coverage shows that short-
ages are already affecting PET, glass and other
packaging materials used in consumer goods.
58 PLASTICS NEWS
For B2B buyers, the lesson is simple: this is not
only an energy story. It is a packaging supply
chain story. Rising resin prices, longer lead times
and higher freight costs can all follow when a
major chokepoint tightens.
Reuters reported in late March that the conflict
had choked petrochemical supply and sent key
plastics prices higher, while a second Reuters re-
port found that beauty companies were already
paying more for plastic jars, lipstick tubes and
transport.
Why Hormuz matters to packaging supply
The first link is raw materials. Plastic packaging is
closely tied to petrochemicals, and petrochemi-
cals are closely tied to oil and gas markets.
When a major route such as Hormuz is restrict-
ed, producers and converters face tighter feed-
stock supply and higher input costs. Reuters re-
ported on 26 March that the war had pushed
up prices for key plastics and polymers and that
global chemical companies had started passing
those costs on to customers.
The second link is manufacturing cost. Packaging
is not made from raw materials alone. Glass fur-
naces and metal production use large amounts
of energy, so an oil shock can raise production
costs across several packaging formats at once.
The wider market impact is already visible. The
Washington Post reported that the conflict was
affecting not only oil but also aluminium and pet-
rochemical feedstocks, while the International
Energy Agency’s chief warned through Reuters
that Middle East supply disruptions were begin-
ning to feed into inflation and economic pres-
sure beyond the energy sector.
The third link is geography. Asian markets are es-
pecially exposed because they receive most of
the crude and condensate moving through Hor-
muz. If those flows are disrupted, downstream
April 2026