USA

Winter Storm Fern: impact on European supply expected to be limited to PE

UPDATE - PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

Polypropylene: TotalEnergies declares second force majeure / Start-up problems at Ineos / Fire breaks out in Geleen

LOGISTICS

Hapag-Lloyd still hesitant to sail through Red Sea / Associations call on politicians to solve lorry driver shortage

EUROPEAN CAR MARKET

Registrations end 2025 on high note / EVs dominate / VW takes chequered flag

RECYCLING EUROPE

Ten proposals on how EU waste management and plastics recycling must change to drive defossilisation / Joint paper by BZL and nova-Institute

PET RECYCLING AUSTRIA

Deposit scheme boosts recycling volumes / Sales weaker than last year

EUROPEAN ECONOMY

German business confidence unchanged / Mood worsens among plastics processors / Eurozone manufacturing improves

WIND TURBINES

Europe added 6.8 GW of wind capacity in H1 2025 / Landfill ban for blades comes into effect / Turnaround year expected in 2026

UPDATE - EU TRADE

Parliament freezes US trade deal / Zero tariffs for plastics, chemicals shelved / Mercosur agreement on hold for judicial review

LOGISTICS

Crisis in European chemical industry weighs on business at major seaports / Following Maersk, CMA CGM also steering ships through Suez Canal again

PET RECYCLING

EU seeks industry feedback on PET bottle recyclability guidelines

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

EVA: TotalEnergies plant in France reportedly out of service

EU-US RELATIONS

European Union reconsiders trade deal with US over Trump's Greenland threats / EUR 93 bn in retaliatory tariffs on US goods back on the table – reports

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Supplier organisation reports 104,000 job cuts over two years / EU strengths should be backed by policy / Commission's Automotive Package eases 2035 targets

PLASTIC PACKAGING GERMANY

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

LOGISTICS

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

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

CHEMICAL RECYCLING

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

EPDM

China re-examines import behaviour from EU, US, South Korea / Customs duties remain in force for time being