This figure shows the global carbon demand for chemicals and materials by sector. It shows how the chemical sector and its derived materials such as plastics, rubber or synthetic fibres account for over 50% of the world’s embedded carbon. Of this, most of the carbon comes from fossil resources. However, the graph shows that the largest share of embedded carbon in materials comes from biogenic sources at around 50 %.
This is mainly found in fully bio-based sectors such as wood in construction and furniture, pulp and paper, and natural fibres.

This graph shows how the global carbon demand for the most important sectors could develop by 2050. On the one hand, it shows the steadily growing demand for carbon in the chemical and materials sectors and, on the other hand, the declining demand in the energy and transport sectors, driven by ongoing decarbonisation.