Exports up 71% in 2014 / Imports rise enormously in volume terms / Foreign trade deficit remains / Injection moulding machines make up most imports / Exports largely consist of extrusion lines / CPRJ reports

Olefins: Shell restarts Wesseling cracker

HDPE: Ineos lifted FM from Lavera, Sarralbe and Rosignano

US recycling increases by 3.3% in 2014 / Recycling rates improve to 31.8% on higher rates for HDPE and PP and despite lower PET rates / APR and ACC survey

PVC remains top choice for compounding / Construction to grow at fastest pace as activity recovers / Technological advances to help penetrate new applications / Freedonia report

Fire shuts Shell's Moerdijk cracker again / No indication of how long outage will last

Ethane imports will soon feed Europe's ethylene crackers / Sunoco opens its terminal in Pennsylvania / Ineos to supply FEP's Mossmorran cracker from Grangemouth

Chinese authorities tighten import controls for plastics scraps

EPS reuse raised in 2014 / Lion's share from industrial waste stream

Polyolefins: Slovnaft's cracker in Bratislava down / LDPE and PP copo deliveries suspended “until further notice”

Despite overcapacities, plans to lift output in Asia / Global consumption stands at 4m t/y / Decline in optical data storage devices pressures sector / Market unsettled by BPA controversy / Opportunities for lighting technology and automotive applications

Mixed waste recycling systems capable of recovering more plastics and metals / Single-stream systems better for paper recovery / American Forest & Paper Association study

Growth in demand will outstrip industry average / Emerging technology in smartphone-enabled interactive packaging / Tracking-enabled products for food and pharmaceutical markets / Freedonia report

Valorplast lowers Q4 redemption price of film bales and bottles significantly

Growth in US flexible packaging market outpacing rigid types / Freedonia study