Global – October 31, 2026 -- Industrial fabrication consumed 657.4 million ounces of silver in 2025, down 3% from the 2024 record of 680.5 million ounces, according to the World Silver Survey 2026. Metals Focus forecasts a further decline of roughly 3% in 2026, to 639.6 million ounces.

Industrial use remains the largest broad component of silver demand. It accounted for well over half of the approximately 1.13 billion ounces of total demand in 2025, so shifts in industrial consumption can alter the wider supply-demand balance.

Brussels – September 18, 2026 -- A global 5% cap on virgin plastics production would cut global household welfare by $128.4 billion, compared with just a $0.5 billion decline under targeted recycling policies achieving the same reduction in plastic leakage, according to a new Oxford Economics study commissioned by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA).

The report, Evaluating Policy Pathways to End Plastic Pollution, is the second phase of Oxford Economics' analysis for ICCA, following its 2024 study Mapping the Plastics Value Chain.