Recently, many people have started noticing that plastic prices—from shopping bags to food packaging—also increase when fuel prices rise. At first glance, these two may seem unrelated. However, from a chemistry perspective, they are actually closely connected (UKM Indonesia, 2026).

The plastics we use in everyday life are derived from crude oil. Crude oil extracted from the earth is processed in refineries into various products, one of which is petrochemical feedstock. This process produces simple compounds such as ethylene, propylene, and styrene.

These small compounds are called monomers, which are then linked together through a chemical process called polymerization to form plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) (Andrady & Neal, 2009).

On the other hand, fuels such as gasoline and diesel are also produced from the same crude oil source. This means that when global crude oil prices rise, the impact is not only felt in fuel prices but also extends to plastic raw materials.

Under certain conditions, plastic feedstock prices may even increase by up to 80–90% (Kontan, 2026).

Not only raw materials, but plastic manufacturing processes also require substantial energy. Plastic industry machinery requires heat and electricity to convert raw materials into finished products.

When fuel prices rise, energy costs generally increase as well. As a result, plastic production costs become higher (Hopewell et al., 2009).

In addition, there is another factor that often goes unnoticed: distribution. Plastic products are manufactured in factories and then distributed to various regions using fuel-powered transportation. When fuel prices rise, transportation costs also increase, which ultimately pushes plastic selling prices upward (SumatraKini, 2026).

When viewed as a whole, rising plastic prices are not caused by a single factor but rather by several interconnected elements: more expensive raw materials, increasing energy costs, and higher distribution expenses.

Considering this condition, researchers have begun developing alternatives that are more environmentally friendly and less dependent on crude oil, such as bioplastics made from natural materials (for example, cassava starch).

Although these alternatives still face challenges in terms of cost and material strength, such innovations are expected to become solutions in the future.

Author: Muji Harsini, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), Universitas Airlangga.