Executive Summary

During the 1990s, a number of technologies emerged to utilize recycled plastics in products designed to replace dimensional wood lumber. Since that time, the sale of recycled plastic lumber (RPL), including pure polymer extrusions andInterlocking System of WPC wall panel, have grown to capture a significant share of the deck board and deck railing market.

While the largest market growth has been in the sale of exterior deck boards, plastic lumber is also being used to fabricate moldings, doorjambs, window casings, playground equipment, railway ties, pilings, posts and fencing products Woodfibre-plastic composites (WPCs) represent the largest and fastest growing segment of the plastic lumber market. They also help close the recycling loop as a strategically important consumer of recycled polyethylene (PE) films, such as stretch wrap from the industrial, commercial and institutional (IC&I) sectors, PE bags from store depot collection programs, or PE bags and films gathered through municipal curbside collection programs across Canada.

Growth in the plastic lumber industry was very rapid in the 1990s, with growth rates of up to 50 percent per year and suppliers often unable to meet consumer demand for plastic lumber products. This period of growth has been followed by a year of consolidation, concurrent with the general economic slow down in 2001. The major industry players, the Trex Company and U.S. Plastic Lumber (along with others), had to idle equipment due to soft demand and high inventories. In spite of this, the long-term outlook for the industry is for high growth. Most of the market growth for plastic lumber has been in the North American residential deck market, which SANDING surface waterproof wood plastic composite wall panel is valued at $5.2 billion (US) per year. Of this, sales of treated substructure components are worth some $1.8 billion (US) annually, while deck boards and railings account for $3.4 billion (US). By the year 2001, plastic lumber accounted for nearly 12 percent of the deck boards and railings sold, with total sales of $395 million (US). Its share of the market is expected to more than double by 2005, to $845 million (US).

The recent agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S lumber industry to phase out arsenic compounds from pressure treated wood is expected to support the continued growth of eco friendly wpc wall cladding  for decking applications.