Chemicals and Rubber & Plastic industry

In 2021, the chemicals and rubber & plastic industry in Portugal achieved a turnover of €12B, with exports amounting to €8B. This industry serves multiple sectors, including automotive, construction, packaging, electronics and textiles.

Portugal has a well-educated and skilled workforce, particularly in the fields of chemical, chemical engineering, biochemical and materials – more than 4.000 higher education graduates in 2021/22. This availability of skilled talent ensures a competitive advantage in product development, manufacturing and research activities.

Portugal's commitment to R&D is supported by a collaborative network involving academic spin-offs, technological startups and renowned R&D centers, such as CIQUP - Research Center in Chemistry and CENTIMFE – Technological Center for the Mouldmaking, Special Tooling and Plastic Industries.

In terms of sustainability, Portugal's commitment to adopting greener processes, recycling technologies and bio-based materials is reflected in the National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 and in the Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality, particularly focusing on decarbonizing the sector.

Chemicals

Portugal has a growing chemicals industry, focusing on the production of high-value and niche chemicals for specific applications.

The chemical industry in Portugal has a relevant impact in national exports, gross value added and employment.

The main chemical hubs in Sines and Estarreja are pivotal in driving the growth of national value chains. The hub in Sines produces a diverse range of products, including petrochemicals, polymers (and recyclable ones) and refined petroleum products. The Estarreja hub specializes in MDI¹ production, primarily for export, urea-formaldehyde resins and PVC.

The Port of Sines, a deep-water seaport, is the country’s main entrance of energy supplies (crude, refined products and natural gas). The site features railway connectivity and an extensive pipeline network.

Several R&D centers, such as CIQUP - Research Center in Chemistry, CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials and ITQB NOVA - Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier act as innovation hubs, fostering collaboration among skilled experts across diverse fields of chemistry.

¹ Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate

Rubber & Plastic

Portugal presents an innovative profile supported by ambitious goals and innovation in sustainable practices that enables its competitive positioning at worldwide level.

Portugal´s rubber & plastic sector is known for its innovation, sustainability, and alignment with global trends. In 2021, it generated a €5,6B turnover and employed 69% of the workforce (31.406) in this industry.

According to the Community Innovation Survey (2020), nearly one-third of the companies located in Portugal, operating in this sector actively participate in innovation activities¹ and solutions that bring environmental benefits.

Portugal hosts top-tier R&D centers like PIEP and CENTIMFE, dedicated to accomplishing the R&D+i requirements of companies in the plastics and related sectors. Additionally, several Portuguese universities offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs in polymer engineering.

Portugal has embraced the Portuguese Pact for Plastics, a collaborative agreement signed by various stakeholders to promote a circular economy approach and tackle plastic pollution.

¹ Includes R&D activities, engineering and development projects, feasibility studies, industrial design, acquisition of machinery, equipment, software and licenses, intellectual property rights, buildings, training, when carried out specifically to develop and/or implement a product innovation and/or process.

Did you know?

… The Sustainable Plastics consortium, a €39M investment involving 51 entities, aims to develop and promote more sustainable plastic materials and products, enhancing their circularity and resource efficiency.

… Casfil, a Portuguese company, has made an investment of €35M to expand its production capacity regarding recyclable packaging. Casfil aims to double its output and meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions.