Base Petrochemicals, Aromatics and Feedstocks: July/August 2019

Polyethylene July 2019: Fall in ethylene reference sets the pace / Buyers feel prices may have bottomed out / Low prices ease purchasing restraint / Mood remains tough / August expected to be quieter

Polypropylene July 2019: Cost relief passed on / Copolymer grades see steep hikes / Compounds move up a notch / August prices likely stable or firmer

PVC July 2019: Producers' margins upped minimally / Slight production curtailments / Holiday season suppressing demand / Low volumes expected in August / Tough negotiations expected

Styrenics July 2019: Price erosion continues / Oversupply meets weak demand / Holidays dampen activities / Only slight recovery expected in August / Feedstock prices rise

PET July 2019: Notations continue to tumble / Heat wave in the last third stabilises situation / August tending stable to firmer

Engineering Thermoplastics July 2019: Slump in auto industry broadly drags prices down / Only PBT and POM still stable / Reductions in quarterly prices will add pressure to monthly transactions in August

Butachimie's scheduled turnaround at ADN plant in France to start in late September / Installation of latest ADN technology

Reorganisation strategy in petrochemicals / Cracker capacity in Porto Marghera to be reduced

Green light for new PP line in Russia

Cracker construction in West Virginia cancelled / Site near US shale gas fields up for sale

World's largest catalytic PDH plant onstream in China / PP capacity surge

Global economic slowdown takes a toll on Saudi Arabia's market leader / Sales in China were hardest hit

Q2 EBIT plunges as global outlook sours / Revised annual forecast confirmed

JV talks with Sabic temporarily halted / CEO Ernesto Occhiello surprisingly throws in the towel / Pigments and masterbatches up for sale

Spanish compounder plans to expand / Compostable resins for single-use applications

Belgian compounder continues purchasing spree / Italian PVC specialist Modenplast Medical and Polish compounder Alfa

Swedish compounder adds production capability

EU general court dismisses PlasticsEurope's BPA challenge / Listing as a SVHC and endocrine disruptor under REACH stands

ECHA adds four new substances to SVHC list / Two labelled as endocrine disruptors

Ban on plastic bags passed / First national “circularity gap” report / Education project for the packaging industry

Cambodia and Sri Lanka dealing with illegal waste imports / Return shipments planned

Sphere and Kaneka report analyses developments on bioplastics / Challenges include confusion on terminology along with production costs

Spanish project creates products made with recycled biodegradable plastics / Industrial and post-consumer waste

Construction of new bioplastics plant in Russia / Investment totals around EUR 200m

Global use of biopolymers in packaging sector to double within five years / Growth driven by China and Europe / Smithers Pira report

Low water levels along Germany's rivers spreading / German minister of transport presents measures to improve navigability of Rhine