The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has released a report projecting that plastics manufacturers will add 127,500 direct jobs in the USA over the next decade.

That is thanks to investments worth $130 billion that companies have announced since 2010. The report says that three-quarters of the raw materials for American-made plastics are liquids distilled from natural gas, whereas the raw materials used in Europe and China largely come from oil.

“Even with the recent drop in oil prices, the USA’s feedstock — based on natural gas — is still dramatically cheaper than oil-based feedstock.”

Steve Russell, vice-president of the chemistry council’s plastics group, said: “Feedstocks in the USA have completely flipped our fortunes, compared with international competitors’. That advantage has fed through to an increase in US plastics exports, plus projections for a tripling of those exports by 2030.”

Chevron Phillips Chemical is currently building two new facilities in Texas. When they open in 2017, they will produce a combined 1 million tonnes per year of plastic resin. Along with a third plant, these facilities will create 400 permanent jobs.