PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

C2/C3, SAN, butadiene, phenol, acetone, plasticisers: low water levels along the Rhine affect various production sites / Force majeure declarations on the rise

ITALY

More than three-quarters of packaging recycled in 2025

GERMAN ECONOMY

Improved expectations continue to brighten business climate in July – Ifo

FOOD PACKAGING

OPP films dominate Europe's flexible food packaging market – Schönwald study

PACKAGING GERMANY

Consumers attach increasing importance to waste separation and sustainability – AVU Packaging Monitor

EUROPEAN CAR INDUSTRY

Registrations strong through H1 as electrification takes hold

LOGISTICS

Multiple disruptions hit European transport: rail works, Red Sea attacks, US storm threats

FLEXIBLE PACKAGING UK

England delays mandatory kerbside collection of films, flexible packaging to 2030 / Wales rejects change / Industry calls for focused investment, rebuilding recycling capacities

PLASTICS INDUSTRY SWITZWERLAND

Modest recovery in 2025 led by processors – Kunststoff.Swiss report

CHEMICAL INDUSTRY GERMANY

Production, sales fall again in H1 – VCI report / President calls for 'more radical reform implementation'

PLASTICS ECONOMY GERMANY

Expectations deteriorate following improved business performance in H1 / Raw material costs, selling prices, sales volumes main concerns / Respondents dissatisfied with government – KI Dialog survey

CHEMICAL INDUSTRY POLAND

Sector focused on survival, not strategic investment / Energy prices remain volatile in 2026, amplified by Strait of Hormuz disruptions / Coalition seeks revision of ETS rules

LOGISTICS

River Rhine misses its depth / Low water levels hamper inland waterway transport / Ghost carriers add another freight-risk layer

UK CONSTRUCTION

Subdued market persists / Housebuilding activity falls at fastest pace / Input price inflation eases

CHINA

Share in Russian polymer imports reaches record high / Chinese export grows amid domestic overcapacity

CHINA

Typhoon Bavi hits country's east / Numerous plants scaled back, shut down / Key transshipment ports still out of operation, but damage less severe than expected / South Korea not expected to be affected

FLEXIBLE PACKAGING EUROPE

Geopolitical risks drive steep price increases for packaging grades / BOPP film almost doubles in price in Q2

PLASTICS RECYCLING FRANCE

2025 targets missed by large margin / Noticeable changes in PET reclaim / Processing and compounding capacity reaches 1 mn t/y

LOGISTICS

Stop-start at Strait of Hormuz / Shipping lines return to the Red Sea and Suez Canal

PLASTICS INDUSTRY HUNGARY

Cluster launched / Joint efforts to expand plastics exports to Germany, Austria, Japan