POLYMER PRICES

Paraxylene June: Asian markdown largely priced in

INEOS

Petchem group sues Flemish government over Project One construction delays

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

WANHUA

H1 2026 profit set to soar / Middle East conflict appears to boost business

DYNEON / 3M

Financial investor acquires fluoropolymer producer / Production at HQ to be expanded

POLYMER PRICES

China standard thermoplastics June: Most prices decline sharply / Demand weak in off-season as feedstock costs ease / Quotations could rise in July if US-Iran military escalation continues

PLASTIC PACKAGING GERMANY

IK business survey: feedstock price shock pressures profits / Most companies expect sales and exports to remain stable

RECYCLING USA

Conservative states file suit against new California packaging waste law / Fresh attempt to keep 'onerous' rules at bay / NGOs also take case to courts

QATAR VINYL

Former Kem-One manager Bahri takes charge of global sales / PVC plant commenced operations at start of year

JAYPLAS

UK plastics recycler to open two plants in south Wales / Processing capacity of 100,000 t/y targeted

AKRO-PLASTIC

Compounding JV with Fujian Highsun Engineering Plastics opens second China plant / Capacity reaches 100,000 t/y

MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT

Military escalation triggers sharp surge in feedstock volatility / Plastics processors caught between customer commitments and margin pressure

PET RECYCLING

EU publishes method to calculate, verify, and report chemically recycled content in single-use PET bottles / Industry associations call for SUPD stability

POLYETHYLENE

EU-US trade agreement could bring confusion to European PE market / Recyclers fear for their existence / Special depreciation allowances on converters' stocks

CONTITECH

Automotive supplier Continental to sell industrial subsidiary to private equity firm Lonestar Funds for EUR 4 bn

SACCHERIA FRANCESCHETTI

Acquisition of Italian packaging manufacturer Plastilux / Expansion into polyethylene solutions

HINDUSTAN PETROLEUM

Refinery in north-western India now operational / Petrochemical plant set to follow by end of year

TOOL MANUFACTURING AUSTRIA

Haidlmair acquires Slovakian CNC contract manufacturer / Trade association study confirms resilience of sector

PPWR: FLEXIBLE PACKAGING

Europe must rapidly expand secondary markets to meet recycled-content targets, says Ceflex / Recyclate quality to be critical