Sunday April 22 was the 48th celebration of Earth Day, a worldwide event to demonstrate support for and awareness of environmental protection efforts. Since, according to the EPA, about half of the water we use outdoors goes to waste from evaporation, wind, or runoff due to overwatering, Earth Day is a perfect occasion to highlight trends in water conservation features for our lawns and gardens.

Global process oil demand is forecast to grow 1.4% per year to 7.2 million metric tons in 2021. The rate of growth is expected to be lower than the global average in North America and Western Europe – where manufacturing growth will be the slowest – and higher than average in all other regions.

Demand for wood moulding and trim is projected to increase 3.7% annually to $5.5 billion in 2022, the slowest rate of advance of any material type. However, wood will still account for more than half of moulding and trim sales in 2022. Demand growth will be driven by: • a strong rise in office, commercial, and institutional building construction activity • growth in interior trim product sales • the need to replace worn or damaged existing wood products

US bathroom remodeling spending is projected to rise 4.9% annually to $33.9 billion in 2022. Gains will be driven by a high level of homeowner interest in remodeling or adding bathrooms.

Global demand for fabricated flat glass in solar energy is forecast to grow at a 20% annual rate to $8.5 billion in 2021. The pace of gains will be similar to that of the 2011-2016 period, as solar energy continues to penetrate global markets and the rapidly expanding base of installed solar systems will support replacement sales for rooftop solar panels and related products.

Demand for recreational boats is forecast to grow 5.3% per year to nearly $11 billion in 2022. Demand will be supported by a healthy economy, which improves the following: • personal consumption expenditures, particularly for durable goods and recreation • disposable income and discretionary spending • access to credit, via loans and the use of home equity

Global demand for bulk packaging drums is projected to increase 4.6% annually to $11.0 billion in 2021. Sustained growth in output of chemical products – particularly in fast-growing markets such as China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam – will boost demand for drums.

LED lamps accounted for 75% of high-efficiency lamp sales in 2017. These products have gained market share rapidly since 2007, when they accounted for only 7% of sales.

Engineered stone is forecast to be the fastest growing countertop surface material, reaching 152 million square feet in 2022 on yearly advances of 4.5%. Demand for engineered stone countertops grew 28% per annum during the 2012-2017 period, almost entirely due to significant sales advances in the residential market because of greater availability and the search for alternatives to granite.

Demand for cement additives in the US is forecast to expand 7.2% yearly to $2.0 billion in 2022, the fastest rate of increase of any major type of construction chemical. Healthy growth will be driven in part by the uptake of higher value and better performing additives such as water reducers and specialty additives.