PLASTIC PACKAGING GERMANY

Outlook for Q1 2026 / Companies expect stagnation / Defensive staffing policies – IK business survey

MENSING

German recycling group acquires stake in Dutch compounder Schmidt International

DOMO CHEMICALS

French PA firm Polytechnyl enters creditor protection / Operations continue for now

POLYMER PRICES

Standard recyclate January: Sluggish economy continues to dampen demand / Mostly rollover / Only very slight recovery expected for February

ALPLA

Revenues rise in 2025 due to Americas, extrusion blow moulding operations / Plans to invest EUR 15 mn in recycling instead of EUR 50 mn

LOGISTICS

Shipping companies reduce transport capacity / Freight rates rise by double digits

INTERVIEW

Energy costs, cheap imports strain Italy's plastics reclaim sector / Mandatory recycled-content quotas for packaging, anti-dumping duties needed / Interview with Walter Regis, Assorimap president

INDUSTRIE RINALDI

Acquisition of building materials supplier Poliespanso / Consolidation in Italian EPS market

PLASTIC FANTASTIC

Bottles don't break like the heart

POLYMER PRICES

Standard thermoplastics trend January: Polyolefins and PVC initially more stable again / Slight increase for styrenics

POLYMER PRICES

China engineering thermoplastics December: Prices trend mixed despite mostly weak demand / POM rises starkly on low supply / Quotations expected to trend downwards in January

UPDATE - DOMO CHEMICALS

Local officials order continued operation of German plants / Production initially running at 30%

PLASTICS RECYCLING POLAND

Industry struggling for survival across Europe amid dwindling profitability / ‘The more companies fail in the West, the more will survive in the Eastern EU'

EUROPEAN CONSTRUCTION

Sector headed for a rebound? / German results fuel hopes / EU to boost affordable housing

POLYMER PRICE FORECASTS

Weaker naphtha pressures precursors / Little support for polymer prices

MICROPLASTICS

Studies claiming risk to human health did not paint the full picture, say researchers

GRECO

Grässlin takes over German distribution of TPU from Taiwanese producer

ORLEN

Acquisition of new Synthos butadiene extraction plant

POLYMER PRICES

China standard thermoplastics December: Prices down for nearly all grades / Seasonal weak demand / Feedstock costs lift PET quotes / Demand outlook remains low

CHEMICAL RECYCLING

Technology of future or token gesture? Only around one third of planned recycling facilities likely to be built – Conversio study