EUROPEAN AUTO INDUSTRY

Brussels lifts ban on combustion engines / Industry groups offer lukewarm responses / German car lobby calls changes 'disastrous'

EUROPEAN ECONOMY

German business climate weakens / Processors' mood worsens / European manufacturers send mixed messages

PLASTICS MACHINERY GERMANY

VDMA sees bottoming out after declines in order intake, revenues / 5% drop in turnover expected for 2025

YEAR-ENDER 2025: POLYMER PRICES

Imported PTA boosts PET volumes, not profitability / EU mandates support virgin PET as market shrinks / Global PE, PP oversupply caps prices / Packaging, construction, automotive demand subdued

YEAR-ENDER 2025: TARIFFS

Trump tariffs shook EU plastics industry in 2025 / 15% duty ignited retaliatory firestorms / Diversification and capacity shifts ahead in 2026

CHEMICAL INDUSTRY GERMANY

Decline in production, sales predicted for 2026 / Industry sending out SOS, says VCI president Steilemann

YEAR-ENDER 2025: EU ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

OECD predicts slowdown in '26 / Spain to lead, Italy to lag among EU Big Four / UK expansion to ease

RECYCLING UK

Industry on the brink – BPF / Shutdowns continue / Shops face multiple problems

USA

Gap between US citizens' recycling intentions, actions / 77% report they recycle / WM survey highlights barriers

LOGISTICS

Peace and calm on most trade routes / Freight rates from China to Europe rise

RUSSIA

Polymer profits plummet / Market demand on downward trajectory / Outlook for 2026 uncertain

CHEMICAL INDUSTRY GERMANY

More and more energy-intensive companies are moving away – Simon-Kucher study

EU POLICY

Commission launches bioeconomy strategy / Substitution of fossil fuels / Cefic says enthusiasm is premature / Bioplastics capacity growing rapidly

SOUTH KOREA

Lotte and HD Hyundai present plans for restructuring cracker activities

UK CONSTRUCTION

Output continues to slide / New orders down / Sector employment numbers fall for 11th month in a row

AGRICULTURAL PLASTICS

IK calls for binding EPR rules for disposal and recycling in Europe

LOGISTICS

Heavy shipping traffic on world's oceans causes freight rates to tumble / Intra-Asia routes the exception

PLASTIC PACKAGING

Global Commitment to cut virgin plastics use sees progress despite challenges / Government policies needed to spur leading FMCG companies into action

PETROCHEMICAL MARKETS

LDPE: Sabic declares force majeure for deliveries from Wilton

EUROPEAN CAR MARKET

Up to eight plants under threat of closure in Europe / Plastics converters must brace for drop in demand / Defence sector could become point of growth