SunSirs: “15th Five-Year” Development Plan for Synthetic Rubber Released
On April 9, a seminar to release the “15th Five-Year” Development Plan for the synthetic rubber industry was held in Guangzhou. At the event, the China Synthetic Rubber Industry Association released the “15th Five-Year” Development Plan for the Synthetic Rubber Industry (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Plan’), which was interpreted by several industry experts to provide a roadmap for the industry’s development during the “15th Five-Year” period.
Centered on four major development objectives—structural optimization, technological leadership, green and low-carbon development, and global competitiveness—the Plan comprehensively covers 13 specific rubber categories, including solution-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber, styrene block copolymers, butyl rubber, and ethylene-propylene rubber, among 13 other rubber subcategories. It outlines five key tasks: tackling core technological challenges, optimizing product structures toward high-end applications, transitioning to green and low-carbon practices, building a collaborative industrial chain system based on “resource sharing, risk sharing, and mutual benefit,” and implementing international development strategies. The Plan clearly defines the development pathways for the synthetic rubber industry and its various rubber types during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Looking at specific rubber types, the Plan states that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, solution-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) should expand its high-end product portfolio and develop specialized, differentiated high-end customized products, such as random block SBR and partially hydrogenated SBR; butyl rubber should focus on green and low-carbon development, researching high-temperature polymerization and energy-saving technologies for cold recovery to reduce energy consumption costs, while accelerating the application of bio-based and renewable materials in butyl rubber; ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM) should enhance its international influence from multiple dimensions—including technology, market, and branding—accelerate its expansion into international markets, align with international technologies and standards, and improve international brand influence and supply chain resilience.
The Plan also states that the synthetic rubber industry faces numerous new challenges during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. From the perspective of the domestic and international macro-environment, these include: first, the requirements for the development of new-quality productive forces in China; second, ensuring the security and controllability of industrial chains in the international context; and third, the transformation and upgrading of the industrial system under resource and environmental constraints. At the micro level, the synthetic rubber industry currently faces both opportunities and challenges: first, the explosive demand for new energy and high-end manufacturing is driving growth in high-performance products; second, the “dual carbon” goals are compelling a green transition and spurring technological upgrades; third, the restructuring of global industrial chains and the “Belt and Road” initiative are expanding overseas markets; and fourth, the integration of intelligent technologies and new materials is accelerating the industry’s move toward high-end development, while also exposing it to multiple systemic risks.
“In light of the new circumstances facing the industry, we propose specific goals for the synthetic rubber sector by 2030: to complete the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure; to significantly enhance high-end supply capabilities; to substantially boost scientific and technological innovation capacity; to ensure autonomy and control over key core technologies; to achieve remarkable results in green and low-carbon transformation and firmly establish the ‘dual carbon’ goals; and to strengthen the resilience of industrial and supply chains while continuously improving global competitiveness—ultimately building a modern synthetic rubber industrial system with international competitiveness,” noted Li Jinshan, Secretary-General of the China Synthetic Rubber Industry Association.