Charles Drevna from the refiners group suggests that people aren't buying as much stuff now.

NPR: Energy Costs Drive Up Prices of Nearly Everything

Charles Drevna, who heads the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association describes it this way...

NPR: Energy Costs Drive Up Prices of Nearly Everything

Mr. CHARLES DREVNA (National Petrochemical and Refiners Association): For lack of a better term, we make plastic pellets, and those plastic pellets, whether they're ethylene derived or propylene derived or whatever, are transformed into products that we use every day.

NPR: Energy Costs Drive Up Prices of Nearly Everything