(1) Development status of the international pigment industry: The pigment manufacturing industry has a very long history. Pigments began to be produced industrially in the 18th century and have a history of more than 200 years. In the world pigment market, European and American countries have dominated for a long time. After the 1980s, the production of pigments gradually shifted from Europe and the United States to Asian countries.
In recent years, the world's pigment industry has developed steadily, and the market capacity has continued to rise. By 2022, the market capacity of the pigment industry will reach US$27.874 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.8%. The rapid advancement of the industrialization process and the continuous improvement of infrastructure in Asia and other developing economies have promoted the development of coatings, inks, plastics and other fields in the global market, especially in Asia, and in turn promoted the continuous growth of demand for upstream pigment products.
(2) The transfer of the international pigment manufacturing industry to Asia: In the context of economic globalization, affected by various factors such as rising labor costs and intensifying market competition, the local production scale of European and American pigment manufacturing companies continues to shrink. With the rapid development of fine chemical industries and the transfer of production and technology in the pigment manufacturing industry, Asian countries rely on abundant resources, relatively low labor costs, and complete upstream and downstream industries, and the pigment manufacturing industry has developed rapidly. Among them, China and India are the fastest growing, and a number of large enterprises with strong production strength and strong research and development capabilities have emerged.
In recent years, the world's organic pigment industry has maintained steady development, and the market demand and output of the organic pigment industry have basically remained balanced, about 500,000 tons per year. The output of organic pigments in China is maintained at about 220,000 tons, and China is the world's largest producer and exporter of organic pigments. In addition, China has always been a big producer and consumer of inorganic pigments.
(3) The requirements for green environmental protection are getting higher and higher, and the environmental protection and high-performance pigments are developing rapidly: With the increasing awareness of environmental protection worldwide and the continuous improvement of environmental protection policy requirements, the downstream industries of pigments are more concerned about the safety and environmental protection of products Constantly put forward higher requirements.
In countries such as Europe and the United States, more and more chemical components are banned or restricted for use in pigment products; some classic pigments are also not widely used in high-end fields because they are easy to decompose and produce carcinogenic substances in harsh environments such as high temperatures. In addition, countries such as Europe and the United States have put forward higher and higher requirements for pigment products by strengthening regulations and supervision (such as EU REACH regulations), restricting the use of substance lists, and improving market access.
The existence of the above situation has had a great impact on the production and sales of low-end pigment products, while high-performance pigment products have excellent performance in terms of weather fastness, heat resistance, solvent resistance and migration resistance, as well as environmental protection. The content of harmful substances is less, and it is favored by more and more consumers, thus becoming one of the favorable factors driving the growth of demand in the pigment industry.
With the continuous improvement of the green and environmental protection requirements of the pigment industry and its downstream industries, environmentally friendly and high-performance pigments will become the mainstream of production and consumption in the pigment industry.
(4) The status quo of China's domestic pigment industry: Since the reform and opening up, especially after the 1990s, China has gradually become the world's most important production base of fine chemical products. Along with the transfer of the world's coatings, inks, plastics and other industries, China's pigment industry has developed rapidly. By optimizing resource allocation and improving product series, Chinese pigment companies have continued to innovate in technology, improve product performance, and promote the development of their own brands. A number of pigment suppliers with considerable scale and strength have emerged.
According to data from the Dyestuff Industry Association, China has become the most important producer of organic pigments in the world. In 2020, China's organic pigment output will reach 215,000 tons, accounting for more than 50% of the global total, and its output has ranked first in the world for many years. Since 2018, some enterprises have stopped production or limited production due to factors such as environmental protection and safety, and the output of organic pigments has declined slightly. With the steady growth of the future economy, the continuous advancement of urbanization, and the steady development of downstream industries, China's organic pigment market will continue to maintain steady development.