TDI

Prices continue to rise following plant failure at Covestro / German mattress association warns of shortages

EU TRADE SANCTIONS

Brussels targets firms using Russian oil / Focus includes petchem companies, China / EU warns of 'asset freeze'

POLYSTYRENE MARKET

Rise in imports makes life difficult for European producers / Almost one third of imports now come from East Asia

PLASTIC PACKAGING EUROPE

PPWR has set the bar high / Recyclate supply still not clear / Declining demand for virgin plastics / FachPack 2025 to focus on transformation in packaging industry

PLASTICS MANUFACTURING GERMANY

Production down significantly in Q2 / “We will need to be in it for the long haul” – Plastics Europe

LOGISTICS

Countdown to tariff moratorium: trade, freight rates between US and China rising rapidly

MDI

US imposes provisional anti-dumping measures on isocyanate imports from China

SWITZERLAND

Retailers prolong voluntary plastics-reduction commitment

SPAIN

Household plastics market poised for robust growth / Shift towards environmentally friendly products / Asian countries look into export opportunities

AUTOMOTIVE

Clepa urges EU to step in with support for auto supply sector / Up to 350,000 jobs could be lost if no action taken

FRANCE

Reward system for use of recycled material to come into effect next year

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Subsidies for innovative products underway / Brussels sets the stage but Netherlands leads on circular plastics

PLASTICS MACHINERY

Market crisis impacts portfolio of machinery makers / Arburg divests 3D-printing unit / Sumitomo Demag removes hydraulic machines

FLEXIBLE PACKAGING

Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo and others launch US Flexible Film Initiative to tackle plastic packaging waste

LOGISTICS

Artificial capacity shortages lend breath of fresh air to freight rates

OIL & GAS

ConocoPhillips set to lay off more than 3,000 staff – reports / Other sector giants embarking on cost-cutting drive

POLYETHYLENE

Global markets caught between tariffs and overcapacities / More and more exports from all directions head to Europe / Brazil imposes punitive tariffs

RECYCLING BRAZIL

Recycling volumes up, rate down in 2024 / 410,000 t PET recycled / Sector at 23% idle capacity – Brazil PET group

UK CONSTRUCTION

Activity falls for eighth month straight / Housebuilding, civil engineering experience summer slide

CONSUMER GOODS GERMANY

Prices, global competition, EU regulations – triad of producer concerns / Industry associations see no structural weakness despite shrinking sales