Base Petrochemicals, Aromatics and Feedstocks: October / November 2018

Polyethylene October 2018: Market generally continues weak / Producers unable to factor in cost increase / Prices of grades affected by imports tend down / Otherwise a rollover predominates / Little change expected

Polypropylene October 2018: Sluggish demand curbs cost pass-through / Minor upturn for standard grades / Flat curve for compounds / Automotive weakness likely to persist

PVC October 2018: Rollovers predominate for standard PVC / Numerous production stoppages / Bottleneck on plasticiser market following BASF's force majeure / Lower November C2 reference contract takes upward pressure off the market

Styrenics October 2018: Prices follow declining SM reference / Discounts on PS slightly below cost reduction / ABS under pressure from weak automotive performance and imports / Further decreases expected

PET October 2018: High prices capped / PX hike unable to prevent prices from slipping / Downturn in Asia and imports on the increase / Further tendency to weaken expected

Engineering Thermoplastics October 2018: Automotive slump puts pressure on the market / Prices of many materials down / Only PA 6.6 climbs again / Downtrend to continue in November

Major shipping restrictions on Rhine river / Worsening PA 6.6 shortages feared / Styrene and propylene affected / BASF reports EPS shortages / Impacts on Lanxess, Celanese and Shell

Joint venture facility with Kolon Plastics commences production in South Korea / Plant in Germany to be shut down

POM expansion in Germany / Earnings on plastics rise in Q3

Thailand bans waste imports from 2021 / Pilot project in Khon Kaen to cut plastic bag use / Pledge to build waste-to-energy power plant

EU establishes "polynSPIRE" project / Four-year programme comprises 22 partners with funding of nearly EUR 10m

European Parliament greenlights commission's single-use plastics rules and adds more / Council will have the next word / Many stakeholders still critical

Report from Veolia and Recoup says consumers support recycled material in plastic bottles / Most would pay more for such products

UK plans to hit plastic packaging with "green" tax in 2022 / Move will not solve pollution problem without proper recycling infrastructure, says BPF

Indian films giant completes acquisition of Treofan's European activities

Packaging manufacturer reorganises into three business units / Executive team gains heads of technology and innovation

Zdenek Rybczuk appointed interim CEO of packaging producer / Further acquisitions for Lindsay Goldberg in the pipeline

French films manufacturer invests in recycling / Recyclate use to double by 2025

Takeover of Italian firm PET Engineering / European technology centre for beverage containers

Dutch plant pots manufacturer acquires horticultural activities from Sky-Light

Second production site to be built in France / Extended conveyor systems at German location

Numerous countries and municipalities take steps to restrict single-use plastics / Bans on plastic carrier bags and straws

Japan races to catch up on tackling marine litter / Subsidies for biodegradables producers / New Zealand to phase out plastic carrier bags

PET resin production and consumption projected to increase / Bottle recycling sees high domestic demand / China's import ban could boost recyclate usage in Turkey

Overdue payments substantially impact businesses in Eastern Europe / Late payments growing in Turkey / Bankruptcy is main reason for uncollectable receivables / Atradius report