플라스틱 가격, 4년여 만에 최고 수준…아시아·유럽 가장 취약

This article reveals how Middle East geopolitical tensions have created a severe global petrochemical supply crisis, with plastic prices reaching 4-year highs and threatening widespread inflation across consumer goods and basic commodities. Asia and Europe face critical vulnerability due to their heavy dependence on Middle Eastern polyethylene and naphtha imports, forcing manufacturers into painful price increases. Meanwhile, North America's self-sufficient natural gas-based production model positions it as a strategic winner, widening regional economic disparity.