Plastics News
Upcoming Events:
NPE2024
Monday, May 06, 2024 – Friday, May 10, 2024
Plastics Industry Association
Orlando, Florida
For details and to register: https://npe.org/
Current Trending Topics in the News with Links to Articles:
- Governmental and Lobbying:
Resin production limits hang over plastics treaty talks
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/resin-production-limits-debate-hangs-over-plastics-treaty-talks
The debate over resin production caps is again surfacing in the plastics treaty talks as environmental groups and allied countries renew a push for them while plastics companies and other nations point to social and economic risks from blunt limits.
Ahead of talks formally restarting April 23 in Ottawa, groups have been releasing reports and holding public events to argue for or against caps.
US consumer recycling dips; call grows for legislative support
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/us-post-consumer-plastics-recycling-numbers-dip-new-report-says
New statistics show post-consumer plastics recycling falling slightly in the United States as recovery of two flagship resins stumbled in 2022.
A newly issued report from a trio of groups shows the country recycled a little more than 5 billion pounds of post-consumer plastics in 2022, down 71.2 million pounds from the year before.
“Collection is down. Supply is down for recyclers. I think that’s the big thing we have to try to figure out, why is collection down? What are we not doing that can help the consumer put more material in the bin,” said Steve Alexander, CEO of the Association of Plastic Recyclers trade group.
- Features and News Articles:
Most commodity resins see hikes in March as PE stays flat
https://www.plasticsnews.com/resin-pricing/most-commodity-resins-see-hikes-march-pe-stays-flat
North American prices for most commodity resins continued to increase in March, resulting from a combination of seasonal demand and higher feedstock costs.
Meanwhile, polyethylene prices in March again made news by doing nothing. Prices were flat for the second consecutive month after climbing 5 cents in January.
Polypropylene remains the most volatile commodity resin. PP prices jumped up by an average of 3 cents per pound in March, marking the third straight monthly price hike and sixth in seven months for that material.
Additives makers highlighting new processing aids at NPE
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/additives-makers-highlighting-new-processing-aids-npe
Baerlocher USA, ID Additives, Tolsa and Tosaf Fusion are among the many additives makers bringing new products to NPE2024.
Cincinnati-based Baerlocher USA (S35171) will spotlight cost-competitive, sustainable additive solutions and initiatives to help the plastics industry comply with environmental, health and safety regulations, officials said in a news release. These additives include a recently launched PFAS-free polymer processing aid (PPA) and a new bioplasticizer solution. Officials said the materials are “redefining industry standards and paving the way to a greener future.”
ID Additives Inc. (S32033) of La Grange, Ill., will feature displays of its main product lines, including chemical foaming agents, purging compounds, plastic mold cleaners, and water cleaning and maintenance systems.
Madrid-based Tolsa SA (S30174) will spotlight its Adins-brand additives, which officials said are growing in demand as a sustainable replacement of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as an anti-dripping mechanism in flame-retardant formulations.
PET bottle resin prices heat up as summer approaches
https://www.plasticsnews.com/resin-pricing/pet-bottle-resin-prices-heat-summer-approaches
PET bottle resin prices ticked up 2 cents in March after increasing 3 cents in February. Prices for the material had surprised market watchers by dropping 5 cents in January.
The March increase was more connected to higher prices for feedstocks such as paraxylene and purified terephthalic acid (PTA), one source said.
Seasonal demand also was a factor in the PET price hike as retailers prepare for higher beverage sales during warmer summer months. Bottled water — the largest beverage segment in the U.S. and a major consumer of PET — continues to grow, but has slowed in recent years, according to a recent report from the Beverage Marketing Corp. consulting firm.
Prices for recycled resins may rise through 2024
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/recycled-resin-prices-expected-rise-2024
Recycled resin prices that have struggled against low prices for virgin materials may be on the path to recover in 2024.
Emily Friedman, senior market editor at ICIS, pointed to a few key trends affecting recycled resin pricing during the recent Plastics Recycling Conference 2024 in Grapevine.
Lower virgin resin prices have meant lower prices for recycled resins because there is less demand for them.
Now global trade also is making a difference on recycled material.
Numbers Matter Shorts: GDP report ‘not good’ for plastics manufacturing
https://www.plasticsnews.com/video/gdp-report-not-good-plastics-manufacturing
Consumer spending is up, with more emphasis on services than goods. Higher interest rates corresponded with lower plastics manufacturing output, but it’s unlikely the Fed will consider a lower rate while GDP decelerated. What does this mean for the plastics industry? Economics Editor Bill Wood has an idea of what could happen next.
Mergers & Acquisition Tracker
Updated list of merger and acquisition deals within the plastics industry. Details include the buyer and the company or assets being purchased, along with a link to read more about each transaction.
- Recycling and Sustainability:
APR, Europe’s RecyClass working to ‘harmonize’ recycling guidelines
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/apr-recyclass-working-harmonize-recycling-guidelines
An effort to harmonize recycling guidelines for plastics packaging in the United States and Europe is making progress a year into the collaboration, participants say.
But the heavy lifting is still to come.
Officials at both the Association of Plastic Recyclers in the United States and RecyClass in Europe understand that making their respective packaging recycling guidance as similar as possible will ultimately help bring more used plastic to recyclers.
But getting to that point will take time, they say.
Plastics Recycling World Magazine
Link to March/April Issue: https://content.yudu.com/web/1rl19/0A42x3p/PRWMarApr24/html/index.html?refUrl=https%253A%252F%252Fmagazines.amiplastics.com%252F
Finding Fibre and textile recycling solutions
Polyester and polyester-blend waste is the target for recycling technology and research groups working with customers in the fibres and textiles industry.
Coming to the aid of recycled compounds
Additives help solve a range of problems in the processing and use of recycled compounds. New products include stabilizers, antioxidants, and processing aids.
Melt filtration moves in new directions
Suppliers of melt filtration systems are improving their technologies to ensure efficient removal of contaminants even at finer levels.
Upcoming Events:
AMI Plastics Recycling World Expo – Europe
September 11 – 12, 2024
Brussels, Belgium
For details and to register: https://eu.compoundingworldexpo.com/enquire-about-exhibiting
AMI Plastics Recycling Technology
October 23 – 24, 2024
Vienna, Austria
For details and to register: https://www.ami-events.com/event/bc7e919f-830f-4c9b-9963-e5ca9f7f7b47/summary?RefId=Advert_AMI_magazine
AMI Plastics Recycling World Expo – North America
November 13-14, 2024
Cleveland, Ohio
For details and to register: https://na.plasticsrecyclingworldexpo.com/exhibit/become-an-exhibitor
