At Plastindia 2026, Eddie Wang, senior vice president, Asia South Region at Borouge, shared an upbeat assessment of India’s plastics and packaging landscape, underlining the company’s innovation-led approach and its growing strategic commitment to the market. Speaking during an interaction at the exhibition, Wang emphasized that India’s strong growth momentum across multiple sectors is creating significant opportunities for material suppliers.

Speaking about Borouge’s participation at Plastindia 2026, Eddie Wang, senior vice president, Asia South Region at Borouge, said, “We are very pleased to be in Plastindia again. This is a great event and a very important one for us.” According to him, India’s accelerating economic trajectory is a key driver behind the company’s heightened focus. “India is on a great growth trajectory, and this is becoming a more and more important market for us as a company,” Wang noted, pointing to applications spanning infrastructure, energy, advanced packaging, healthcare, agriculture and mobility.

A major objective of Borouge’s participation was to showcase new innovations tailored for the Indian market. Among the highlights was the introduction of the newly branded Recleo circular economy offering. Wang described it as more than a product. “Recleo is not our product itself – it’s a total solution,” he said. “If you look at the brand quality standard, the specification with the brand owners, the customer relation and the brand equity, it’s a full solution package from product to service.”

He added that the solution is built on partnerships across the recycling value chain. “We do not directly participate in collection, sorting and aggregation, so we work with our partners together. This is truly a team effort,” Wang explained.

Beyond circularity, the company is also strengthening its portfolio in rigid packaging and healthcare. Wang noted that the company has introduced new polypropylene block copolymer solutions and has begun supplying healthcare grades produced in the UAE. “Historically, we relied on our parent company to supply healthcare grades. Now we have our own, made in UAE, supplying IV bottles and three-piece syringes,” he said.

When asked how these innovations could influence the Indian plastics market, Wang was clear that innovation remains central to the company’s strategy. “Innovation is always in the core of our DNA,” he stated, adding that the company consistently maintains a high innovation spend relative to revenue. He pointed out that many of its current developments are closely aligned with India’s broader economic priorities, including infrastructure expansion, renewable energy and healthcare manufacturing.

In packaging specifically, Wang highlighted lightweighting as a key area of progress. “One example is the cap and closure grades for soft drink bottles. We have lightweight solutions that can reduce the use of plastics but create the same or even higher performance,” he said. He also referenced work being done on collation shrink films that combine virgin and recycled materials, calling it “an industry-leading innovation example.”

On the strategic importance of India, Wang’s response was unequivocal. “The very short answer is: very important,” he said. He revealed that volumes into India have been growing rapidly and credited the strengthening UAE–India trade relationship for supporting momentum. He also noted the company’s long-standing presence in the country, with its Mumbai office serving as the headquarters for India operations and a Delhi office added later to expand reach.

The company is now deepening its physical footprint as well. Wang confirmed the inauguration of its first local logistics hub in Chennai in partnership with DP World. “This is the start of our expansion of the logistics footprint in India, but it won’t be the last one,” he said, signaling further growth plans as demand scales.

Looking at demand drivers, Wang identified renewable energy and agriculture as two high-potential sectors. He expects electrification, data center growth and urbanization to significantly boost demand for wire and cable materials. In agriculture, he sees strong headroom in precision farming solutions. “India is a very big country… and there are challenges such as water scarcity and climate variability. Helping farmers improve yield and economics will create huge demand,” he observed.

Discussing broader industry trends, Wang said circularity continues to dominate the agenda. He pointed to India’s evolving regulatory environment, particularly Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), as a catalyst. “India is one of the markets catching up very fast on legislation. Many of our customers are seeing strong demand from brand owners to incorporate recycling solutions,” he said.

At the same time, he emphasised that India remains a uniquely complex consumer market. “India consumers have quite a unique taste and adoption pattern, which requires our innovation to catch up – both from the content in the pack and the packaging itself,” Wang remarked.

Concluding on an optimistic note, Wang shared a broader message for the industry. “Every time I come to India, I feel a lot of energy – and every year it’s getting stronger,” he said. Despite global uncertainties and industry cycles, he urged stakeholders to stay focused on fundamentals. “If we focus on operational excellence, differentiation, and cost discipline, there will always be opportunities in a high-growth market like India. The sky is the limit. I’m very positive.”