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Latest figures show that the growth rate of total European installed plastics recycling capacity went down from 17% to 10% year on year in effect giving 12.5 million tonnes in 2022.
Those manufacturers and traders that have still been open for orders, have raised polyolefins prices again at levels even €80-100/t higher than last week.
Polish market players have reported better demand for both PE and PP from converters. Among other factors, this is why we are seeing another round of polyolefin price increases in Poland.
The polyolefin market has started reviving in H1 January. Market players say that in addition to completing December deliveries, they already have new orders for PP and PE, with the former bought more frequently than the latter.
The European market will operate in a kind of stop and go mode in 2024. This means that larger polymer manufacturers will schedule maintenance at different sites, thus limiting their emissions at the company group level.
Demand has been low in the Polish polyolefin market in the last pre-holiday week, according to Chem-Courier’s data. Converters have been tapping into their raw material stocks or purchasing only small batches.
Once again this year, the subject of how to establish a circular economy has gained significant pace.
According to estimates by the Amaplast-MECS Statistical Study Center, in 2023 the Italian plastics and rubber machinery production could set a new all-time record for the sector of over 4.8 billion euros, racking up a gain of at least three points over 2022.
The latest draft of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) – which passed its plenary vote in the EU Parliament on Wednesday 22 November – brings further sweeping changes to the proposed legislation, some of which are likely to prove controversial.
Contract prices for monomers and, ultimately, polyolefins, have predictably moved down in Poland in December.
Polish converters continue to buy polyolefins on an ad hoc basis, and if possible, hold off new purchases in anticipation of further price cuts. Packaging remains one of the most active consuming industries.
Although polyolefins have got cheaper this month, converters have still been holding off restocking and have been reduced purchases compared with October.
Monomer contract prices were announced early this week.
Converters, as usual, have been sluggish in the market in late October. All of its players have been waiting for new price announcements.
According to Chem-Courier’s data, PE demand is below average in Poland. PP, especially random copolymers and high-MFI injection-moulding grades, in contrast, are sought after. However, a shortage of those PP types led to inability to fully cover the current customers’ needs.
Chem-Courier forecasts polyolefins to hold their value until the end of the month.
Customers often wait until the second week of the month to make purchasing decisions. They want to have a complete picture of the market
The end of September has seen increased demand for polyolefins compared with the middle of the month in the Polish market.
Film LDPE grades, especially those with MFI=0.3, have been unavailable on the Polish market this week.
Polyolefin converters are far from active now, according to Polish market players.
PE and PP supply has tightened in the Polish market this week. It was nearly impossible to get the material from polyolefin producers for two weeks prior to this one, and now it is getting increasingly more difficult to buy it from traders as well.
A reported shortage of polyolefins in Poland has caused panic among converters.
Demand for polyolefins has strengthened in Poland since last month.
"Many customers are interested in prices and will most likely start restocking in August" - a market participant said.
The situation has begun changing in the Polish polyolefin market. PE and PP producers are reducing their capacity utilisation or storing their products while refusing to sell large quantities of the commodity to traders and converters.
Demand for injection PE has strengthened this week, according to Polish traders. ‘We get the most enquiries for injection HDPE and LDPE and the fewest requests for PP homopolymers from converters,’ one of the market players has reported. Converters that make products from PP complain about limited polymer availability.
The situation has been unclear in the Polish polyolefin market in the first week of July. Traders have informed that converters are actively asking for quotes, but few of them are buying the commodities. Converters of polypropylene, its copolymers in particular, are the most active.
In H2 June, converters have been slow to make new purchases regardless of special offers, discounts and traders minimal margins in anticipation of another price reduction next month
The Polish polyolefin market was mainly inactive in H1 June.
Untha shredding technology GmbH, the Austrian manufacturer of industrial shredding systems, looks back on a successful 2022: The company achieved yet another record turnover in the region of 80 million Euro, set up a new subsidiary in Turkey, noted a distinct improvement of supply conditions, came up with product innovations, made progress with regard to digitalisation and hired 50 new employees.
The company is on track to exceed its 2025 goal to reduce operational emissions by 25%
The 9th ICIS World Polyolefins Conference is just around the corner — an exciting event that brings together senior-level executives, market experts and industry innovators from across the polymer and chemical community
At the ICIS PET Value Chain conference, PET professionals will have the chance to network with their peers and share their own experiences and best practices.
There is a huge range of choices for packaging beverages. But which is the most sustainable? The focus has increasingly been placed on ecological aspects over the last few years in this sector.
European Bioplastics presented yesterday at the 17th EUBP Conference a positive outlook for the global bioplastics industry.