Montachem, Media Monitoring Report, November 2023

Plastics News

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Current Trending Topics in the News with Links to Articles:

 

  1. Governmental and Lobbying:

As plastics treaty talks restart, industry hopes pact boosts move away from fossil production

https://www.plasticsnews.com/public-policy/un-plastics-treaty-should-move-toward-more-sustainable-materials-plastics-industry

Diplomats from 170 countries and hundreds of delegates from environmental groups, companies and other organizations are gathering at United Nations offices in Nairobi for what many observers are saying will be a critical seven days of talks.

What makes this session, the third round of talks, critical is that it’s the first one where negotiators have detailed draft language to work over, what diplomats call a “zero draft.”

Observers said it’s not clear how those discussions will go, and a preliminary public session of diplomats Nov. 11 resurfaced some of the same disagreements that nearly derailed the last round in Paris in May.

 

  1. Features and News Articles:

PET bottle resin prices take a tumble

https://www.plasticsnews.com/resin-pricing/pp-ps-resin-prices-rise-pet-bottle-resin-prices-fall-october

PET bottle resin prices slid down in October, landing in negative territory for the year.

The 4-cent drop in October comes after prices were flat in September. Prices had been up a total of 4 cents in August. Market sources said the October price drop resulted from lower seasonal resin demand — as beverage consumption slows with cooler temperatures — and lower feedstock costs.

PET prices now are down a net of 1 cent so far in 2023. PET demand has been lower than expected in 2023, even during the warmer summer months.

 

Reusable packaging can compete on price with single-use, MacArthur Foundation says

https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/reusable-packaging-can-compete-price-single-use-macarthur-foundation-says

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation says it is “time for a reuse revolution” for packaging, according to a new report.

The study was developed in partnership with Systemiq and Eunomia, with input from more than 60 organizations including the European Investment Bank, national governments, reuse experts, and major brands and consumer brands such as Danone, Nestlé, PepsiCo Inc., Coca-Cola Co. and Unilever.

The EMF study uses advanced modeling to quantify the performance of use-and-return models across three theoretical scenarios, using France as a representative geography.

Key words for materials: Sustainability, profitability, affordability

https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/sustainability-affordability-profitability-demand-materials

“Plastics can be considered a dirty word,” plastics market manager Samantha Sullivan said Nov. 15 at AMI Plastics World Expos in Cleveland. “It’s our job to talk about sustainability.”

Customers of Westlake, Ohio-based Palmer Holland are asking for materials that incorporate post-consumer or post-industrial resin, or that are renewable or bio-based. Sullivan said that advances in plastics sustainability have increased interest in these materials.

Sustainable materials have improved in several ways, she added, including better performance. Customers and end users now have more defined requirements and regulatory standards are more in alignment, Sullivan said.

Resin makers, brand owners differ on plastics treaty priorities

https://www.plasticsnews.com/public-policy/resin-makers-brand-owners-differ-plastics-treaty-priorities

As the third round of global plastics treaty talks ended under a cloud Nov. 19, signs of some splits over priorities emerged between the plastics industry and other business sectors.

In comments Nov. 20, a group of mostly plastics resin makers active in the negotiations, the Global Partners for Plastics Circularity, emphasized demand-side solutions like boosting recycled content and improving waste collection.

A coalition of investors and major consumer brands, however, said the treaty should broaden to include supply-side solutions like reducing plastics production and restrictions on “problematic” plastics or chemicals.

That group, the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, also backed better recycling and waste management.

 

 

  1. Recycling and Sustainability:

 

Recycled HDPE resin prices drop

https://www.plasticsnews.com/resin-pricing/recycled-hdpe-resin-prices-drop

Prices for recycled high density polyethylene pellets have declined the past couple months in North America.

Prices for mixed-color post-consumer pellets and mixed-color post-industrial pellets have both declined 2 cents per pound, according to sources in contact with Plastics News.

The mixed color post-consumer pellets range is now 57-61 cents and the mixed color industrial pellets is 26-30 cents. These changes are shown in this week’s PN resin pricing chart.

 

 

Plastics Recycling World Magazine

 

November 2023 Edition has not yet been published. 

 

 

 

Upcoming Events:

 

AMI Plastics World Expos – Europe

September 11 – 12, 2024

Brussels, Belgium

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