PIE 1175 of 24.07.2025 – Plastics Information Europe

PIE issue 1175

AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING EU Parliament, Council plan significantly lower minimum recyclate quotas for new vehicles / Will ELV Directive come into force by mid-2026?
EU POLICY Commission presents Action Plan to address capacity closure risks / Streamlining of ECHA and REACH envisaged
COVESTRO Outlook for 2025 downgraded yet again / Preliminary Q2 core profit seen down 16%
WESTLAKE Remaining plants in Pernis to be shuttered in 2025 / Resin supply from US planned
VYNOVA PVC producer discontinues Dutch production / Demand too weak
DOW CHEMICAL US chemical company to shutter plants in Germany, UK / Around 800 jobs at risk
BASF Sale of XPS insulation board business to Bachl closed / Purchase of 49% share in Domo's Alsachimie JV finalised
SOUTHEAST EUROPE Romania, Bulgaria's accession to Schengen area offers benefits to plastics industry / Political uncertainty hampers execution of development plans
BALTIC STATES Plastics industry follows upward trajectory despite turbulence in Europe / Evertis to construct EUR 30 mn PET film plant in Lithuania / Political turbulence, imports from non-EU countries exert pressure on businesses
PLASTICS RECYCLING ITALY Mechanical recycling bounces back despite persistent challenges / Sector loses nearly third of its turnover over two years
PACKAGING SPAIN Household recycling rates up / Efforts to beef up municipal waste collection system pay off – Ecoembes
VEOLIA Reported closure of recycling companies Multiport and Multipet
SOURCE ONE PLASTICS Mechanical recycler expands sorting capacities in Germany
EXXONMOBIL Second advanced recycling plant starts up in Texas / Capacity to be doubled
GRANNEX Expansion of mechanical recycling capacity in Germany
POLYMER PRICES North America June: Prices trend sideways or firmer / Uncertainty due to US tariff policy / Hurricane season likely to trigger more stock purchases / Price increases announced for standard thermoplastics in July
POLYMER PRICES China standard thermoplastics June: Prices trend mostly sideways / Weak demand balanced by rise in feedstock costs / LDPE, PET quotations higher / Most July prices to decline amid off-season
POLYMER PRICES China engineering thermoplastics June: Prices mostly sideways to lower / Only PBT higher on rise in feedstock costs / Demand mixed in traditional off-season / Little change to downward movement in July
POLYMER PRICES Standard thermoplastics trend July: Little change for polyolefins, PVC / Further styrene contract decline puts pressure on prices
POLYMER PRICES Standard Recyclate July: Weak demand leads to widespread production cutbacks / Off-spec material puts additional pressure on prices
POLYMER PRICES Engineering recyclate July: Holiday season, overproduction, aggressively priced imports, virgin material, weak demand create toxic combination
POLYMER PRICES Polyurethane feedstocks July: Noticeable discounts at beginning of Q3 / Large amounts of material meet little demand / Prices expected to bottom out in August
INTERVIEW “The recyclate gap remains real” / Frank Kurrat and Andreas van de Locht from Interzero explain why packaging manufacturers and brand owners are finding it so difficult to prepare for PPWR

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