Polymer production grows by 4% in 2014 / EU 28 trade surplus widens / Turkey still most important resin buyer / PlasticsEurope recommends landfill ban to improve recycling / "Plastics – the Facts 2015"

PP: Market leader LyondellBasell warns of supply tightness / Only regular contract volumes guaranteed

Olefins: Shell restarts Wesseling cracker

HDPE: Ineos lifted FM from Lavera, Sarralbe and Rosignano

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

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

People's Republic extends punitive duties on PVC, PA 6.6 resin and adipic acid

High-pressure production: LDPE becoming increasingly tight in Europe / Global importance wanes / New plants mostly flexible and easily switched to EVA / Specifically targeted types more expensive

C2/C3: Borealis declares FM for Stenungsund cracker / Problems during start-up / Downstream production not affected

US authorities impose preliminary anti-dumping duties on PET imports from Canada, China, India and Oman / Chinese producers slapped with highest tariffs

Global growth rates remain high / Degradable and bio-based polymers still niche materials / Market dominated by drop-in applications / Europe is leading production region / 5m t of bio-PET for bottles by 2018

Unipetrol's Litvinov cracker only expected to restart in July 2016 / Outage impacts Q3 results