Montachem Media Monitoring Report, March 2024

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:

 

  1. Governmental and Lobbying:

 

EU packaging, waste rules moving forward

https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/eu-packaging-waste-rules-moving-forward

 

European Union officials are moving forward with a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation agreement that will affect the use of recycled plastics in Europe, overcoming a disagreement that had seemed like it would make approval “unlikely.”

The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU announced on X, previously Twitter, on March 14 that a majority of EU governments have signed off on the text of the PPWR, which will allow the measure to be formally adopted.

The European Parliament and Council had agreed to a final PPWR text previously, but European Commission had withheld its support because of a  is a clause introduced at the 11th hour in the final text at the hands of France.

 

 

Industry leaders fly in to Washington to talk plastics policy

https://www.plasticsnews.com/public-policy/industry-leaders-fly-washington-talk-plastics-policy

 

More than 100 plastics industry executives took to Capitol Hill March 19 to lobby messages around recycling and plastics environmental issues, as well as push Congress to revamp a research and development tax credit they say is hurting their bottom lines.

Companies from both the Plastics Industry Association and the American Chemistry Council fanned out to more than 100 congressional offices as part of their annual fly-in, with leaders of the effort saying they want to talk both policy and the value of plastics.

“Because Congress hasn’t moved a whole lot of legislation, priorities are still first and foremost to make clear that plastic is essential,” said Matt Seaholm, president and CEO of the plastics association.

“If we can recognize the essential nature of plastic, then we can really get to the next step, which is talking about potential policy solutions.

 

  1. Features and News Articles:

 

Expect overcapacity in PE, PP due to slower growth in China, ICIS warns

https://www.plasticsnews.com/one-good-resin/expect-overcapacity-pe-pp-worldwide-icis-warns-due-slower-growth-china

 

Global research firm ICIS is expecting major overcapacities in polyethylene and polypropylene resins beginning this year.

Between 2024 and 2030, global PE overcapacity will average just over 57 billion pounds, according to Houston-based ICIS. For PP, overcapacity will average almost 53 billion pounds in that time frame.

By comparison, PE overcapacity averaged about 15 billion pounds per year from 1993-2023, with PP overcapacity at about 13 billion pounds.

The main driver behind these huge overcapacity predictions is lower-than-expected demand from the Chinese market, according to senior analyst John Richardson.

 

 

Too many gaps in knowledge of safety, data for plastics additives, study says

https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/plastics-additives-understanding-lacking-during-treaty-talks-study-says

A new science report is pushing for the plastics treaty to include tougher regulations and greater public disclosure on chemicals of concern to human health and the environment that are used in making plastic.

The March 14 report from the PlastChem Project, a group of academic, science and food packaging groups, said it wants to give negotiators of a United Nations plastics treaty a scientific framework for evaluating thousands of chemicals used in plastics manufacturing, including additives, processing aids and impurities.

The report, combined with a somewhat similar transparency project underway within the plastics industry, suggests the treaty could likely include at least some calls for public transparency around additives in plastics.

The report’s authors want to go further and adopt a new regulatory approach.

 

 

 

PP prices leap in February

https://www.plasticsnews.com/resin-pricing/pp-resin-prices-jump-february

North American polypropylene resin prices jumped 4 cents per pound in February, as tightness in supplies of polymer-grade propylene (PGP) monomer sent the market up.

Regional PP prices had been up 3 cents in January. Prices now have been up in five of the last six months, with the exception of flat pricing in December.

Earlier in the year, Enterprise Products briefly shut down a PDH unit making PGP in Baytown, Texas. Ineos Olefins & Polyolefins also placed force majeure supply limits on PP resin made at its Chocolate Bayou plant in Alvin, Texas, because of mechanical issues. That site has annual production capacity of about 1 billion pounds of PP. Ineos also operates almost 1 billion pounds of propylene capacity there.

Recent upswings in PP pricing are at odds with demand for the material, which has been in decline.

 

 

Prices rise for most resins in February as PE takes unexpected break

https://www.plasticsnews.com/resin-pricing/prices-rise-most-resins-february-pe-takes-unexpected-break

North American commodity resin prices remained active in February, with four materials seeing higher prices — but polyethylene staying flat.

Polypropylene and polystyrene both rose 4 cents while PET bottle resin and PVC climbed 3 cents.

But North American polyethylene prices were flat in February after climbing 5 cents in January. Flat February pricing surprised some market watchers who had expected another 5-cent hike to take hold.

PE prices had been flat for the previous three months before the January increase. Sources said the January increase was boosted by production issues that hit the Gulf Coast after freezing weather in the middle of the month.

 

 

Material Insights: Polyethylene resin prices get surprise stall in February (VIDEO)

https://www.plasticsnews.com/video/polyethylene-resin-prices-get-surprise-stall-february

Market watchers expected to see a sharp rise in polyethylene resin prices in February after January’s 5-cent increase, but any changes stalled for the month. Senior reporter Frank Esposito delves into the cause, with Chinese production of the material having an impact on the decisions. Frank also discusses the driving forces behind PET bottle resin’s 3-cent hike in February.

 

 

Mergers & Acquisitions Tracker

https://www.plasticsnews.com/mergers-acquisitions/plastics-industry-business-deals-including-mergers-and-acquisitions

See the 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.

 

 

Demand, feedstocks prompt price increase for PET bottle resin

https://www.plasticsnews.com/resin-pricing/pet-bottle-resin-prices-rise-0

The bottled water market may be showing signs of slowing, but prices for PET bottle resin aren’t taking a break.

PET climbed an average of 3 cents per pound in North America in February, tied to a bump in demand and tighter supplies of feedstocks.

The increase came after a surprise 5-cent jump in bottle resin prices in January.

PET demand overall was lower than expected in 2023, even during the 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.

 

  1. Recycling and Sustainability:

 

Stronger recycling regulations can benefit plastics industry, panel say

https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/plastics-industry-needs-stronger-recycling-regulations-panel-says

 

Improving plastics recycling will require strong policies like mandated recycled content, bottle bills and extended producer responsibility, as well as support for newer technologies like chemical recycling.

At least that was the consensus of a panel of plastics companies and consumer goods firms at the Plastics News Executive Forum, where corporate sustainability chiefs noted public pressure to fix waste issues and said new laws could create more consistent, badly needed supplies of recycled plastic.

 

Kickstart: Hemp and Harley-Davidson

https://www.plasticsnews.com/kickstart/hemp-and-harley-davidson-sorting-through-thousands-comments-some-very-big-shoes

 

Forget about chrome and steel. Harley-Davidson’s newest motorcycle features hemp-reinforced fenders and other parts made with post-consumer plastics.

The S2 Mulholland doesn’t even feature the characteristic Harley-Davidson engine sound since it’s an electric motorcycle made by the Milwaukee-based company’s LiveWire business unit.

Mulholland’s front and rear fenders are made with a hemp biocomposite. Its radiator shrouds and wiring caddies are manufactured using Hylon-brand post-consumer nylon from Ravago, which is sourced from discarded fishing nets, “further reducing the reliance on petroleum-based plastics,” LiveWire notes in a news release.

It is LiveWire’s first use of “sustainable and eco-friendly materials across key touch points on the bike.

 

 

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