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1. Governmental and Lobbying
Plastics firms push USMCA to crack down on ‘origin washing’ by Asian rivals
The U.S. plastics industry is pushing Washington to use the rewrite of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal to crack down on what it describes as mainly Asian competitors trying to dodge American tariffs by routing U.S.-bound goods through Canada and Mexico.
The practice, called transshipping or “origin washing,” has emerged as a key priority in the trade wish lists plastics resin makers have been sending to President Donald Trump.
In 2026, the three USMCA countries are preparing to renegotiate the trade deal they signed in Trump’s first term.
The companies generally told Washington they want the USMCA preserved as a free-trade deal but with stronger provisions around transshipping to create stronger North America-wide armor against what they see as unfair trade.
Plastics industry’s top request in USMCA revision? Keep the USMCA intact
https://www.plasticsnews.com/public-policy/pn-plastics-industry-usmca-ideas/
With talks underway on revising the USMCA trade deal, U.S. plastics groups are bringing two basic messages to President Donald Trump: keep the free-trade essentials in place but use the negotiations to elevate industry priorities.
Those priorities include making it easier to ship recycled plastics across North American borders, urging Canada to drop its plastics registry and an end to building code restrictions on some PVC pipe.
Some companies, particularly in the vinyl industry, are also warning the Trump administration that they see U.S. manufacturers facing retaliatory “targeted investigations” in Mexico in response to U.S. tariffs.
The first message: Keep the USMCA, which is getting a scheduled review in 2026 under terms of the trade deal negotiated in Trump’s first term between Canada, Mexico and the U.S.
Canada scraps export ban on single-use plastics
https://www.plasticsnews.com/public-policy/pn-canada-cancels-single-use-plastics-export-ban/
Canada has canceled its planned ban on the export of certain single-use plastics.
The policy change, announced Oct. 20 by Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin, reverses course on a regulation that would have prohibited the export of six categories of single-use plastics starting Dec. 20, 2025. The items included checkout bags, cutlery, stir sticks, six-pack rings, foodservice containers, and certain plastic straws.
Dabrusin said the decision followed a review of trade dynamics and global policy alignment. The government concluded that few countries were following suit with similar bans, and that international buyers would simply turn to other suppliers — undermining the policy’s intent and harming Canadian manufacturers without meaningfully reducing plastic waste.
2. Features and News Articles
EPA head says plastics will be part of new MAHA-friendly agenda
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency says that plastics concerns will be part of a new EPA plan to align more closely with the Make America Healthy Again movement, which has pushed for the stricter regulation of microplastics and chemicals.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said during a Dec. 10 webinar of the MAHA Action group that the agency is finishing up a “MAHA agenda” at EPA that will include lead pipe, plastics, food waste and clean-up of polluted sites.
The new EPA plan comes as tension has been rising between Zeldin’s agency and MAHA groups, which are generally aligned with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
MAHA leaders, including one who spoke immediately after Zeldin, in recent weeks have circulated a petition calling for Zeldin to be fired, accusing him of prioritizing the interests of chemical companies.
MAHA groups in November sharply criticized a plan by Zeldin’s EPA to rewrite rules from President Joe Biden’s EPA that had tightened the approval process for new chemicals. But during the Dec. 10 MAHA Action webinar, Zeldin and MAHA leaders appeared to be trying to mend fences.
A bag ban that led to more plastics use
The state of Washington’s ban on the typical single-use plastic shopping bag turns out to have inadvertently increased the amount of plastic used for bags in the state.
In a recent report on the effect of the 2021 ban, researchers with Washington State University found that the number of plastic bags distributed to customers fell 50 percent by 2022. But because the law allowed retailers to sell thicker, reusable plastic bags, the amount of plastic used by weight increased 17 percent.
In addition, the 8-cent fee failed to cover retailers’ costs for either existing paper bags or the thicker plastic bags. Researchers said paper bags cost stores about 16 cents per bag, and the thick plastic bags could range from 10 cents on the low end to as much as 39 cents.
PET resin prices dip; U.S. recycling rate sees slight decline
https://www.plasticsnews.com/video-livestreams/material-insights/pn-pet-resin-prices-dip-121525/ (click on link for video report)
North American PET bottle resin prices fell by 1 cent per pound in November, easing back after an unexpected spike in October driven by renewed tariffs on imports from Asia. Meanwhile, the U.S. PET bottle recycling rate slipped to 30.2 percent in 2024, as domestic reclaimers faced pressure from lightweighting, market volatility and a record surge in imported recycled PET. NAPCOR is calling for stronger policy support to stabilize the sector.
For more insights on resin pricing, be sure to register for the December edition of Polymer Points Live with Frank Esposito.
Polyethylene outlook shifts as exports rise, costs face pressure
https://www.plasticsnews.com/video-livestreams/material-insights/pn-polyethylene-outlook-demand/ (click on link for video report)
This week’s Material Insights highlights rising U.S. polyethylene exports as domestic demand continues to fall. In Polymer Points Live last week, Frank Esposito noted flat pricing for 2025 and warned that growing natural gas exports could erode the U.S. cost advantage, raising concerns for future investment.
North American PP struggles with weak demand, rising stockpiles
https://www.plasticsnews.com/video-livestreams/material-insights/pn-polypropylene-weak-demand-rising-stockpiles/ (click on link for video report)
Senior reporter Frank Esposito breaks down what is behind the slowdown in polypropylene demand and the falling prices. Esposito also gives highlights of the latest market trends, supply challenges and a 2026 outlook for polypropylene.
Tariffs drive PET prices higher
https://www.plasticsnews.com/video-livestreams/material-insights/pn-tariffs-pet-prices-1201/ (click on link for video report)
In this week’s Material Insights, senior reporter Frank Esposito explains how tariffs and seasonal factors are shaping the PET market, with easing demand and falling feedstock costs. He notes flat pricing for PVC and polystyrene in November amid weak market conditions.
Polyethylene outlook shifts as exports rise, costs face pressure
(click on link for video report)
This week’s Material Insights highlights rising U.S. polyethylene exports as domestic demand continues to fall. In Polymer Points Live last week, Frank Esposito noted flat pricing for 2025 and warned that growing natural gas exports could erode the U.S. cost advantage, raising concerns for future investment.
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.
3. Recycling and Sustainability
EU moves to allow mass balance for chemical recycling in bottles
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/eu-moves-allow-mass-balance-chemical-recycling-bottles/
The European Commission has published its draft decision adopting the mass balance method for recycled content allocation in single-use plastic beverage bottles.
The document has been under preparation for at least a year and was greatly anticipated by the plastics chemical recycling industry.
The draft decision revises EU rules on calculating, verifying, and reporting the recycled plastic content in single-use plastic beverage bottles, with special attention to integrating recycling technologies beyond those covered by Regulation (EU) 2022/1616.
The current rules only recognise mechanical recycling as a suitable technology. The new draft Decision proposes to also recognise chemical recycling technologies by establishing a mass balance accounting system.
4. Plastics News Calendar of Plastics-Related Events
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/peek-plastics-news-calendar-plastics-related-events/
Plastics Recycling World Magazine
November/December 2025 issue: https://content.yudu.com/web/1rl19/0A42x3p/PRWNovDec25/html/index.html?refUrl=https%253A%252F%252Fmagazines.amiplastics.com%252F
KShow News
K 2025, still the most prominent trade fair for textiles and fiber industries worldwide, closed on 15 October after welcoming 175,000 visitors through the doors of the Messe Düsseldorf in Germany.
In view of the current difficult economic climate and other factors affecting the plastics industry, many companies travelled to Düsseldorf with subdued expectations, said organizers. But encouragingly, they described the prevailing mood across the fully occupied exhibition grounds as “good” as the industry presented itself as more resilient and forward-thinking than ever.
Colours designed for improving recyclate
As plastic compounds containing post-consumer recyclate (PCR) make their way into a growing number of applications, colour pigments – from black and white to a range of brilliant shades and even special effects – play an important role in appearance and functionality.
Technology advances help PCR quality
Quality control in plastics recycling is a multidimensional challenge driven not just by practicalities and technical factors, but also by market and regulatory forces. The average proportion of post-consumer recyclate (PCR) in new plastic products remains below the targets set by the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) directives, partly due to quality versus virgin material.
The need to ensure recycled polymer quality is being addressed by groups involved in rheology R&D, material testing, inspection and sorting and recycling technology.
PET recycling technology makes greater gains
PET may be the best-established sector in plastics recycling, but that has not deterred companies and organizations in the PET value chain from further improving PET recycling. Recent technology developments can be seen in conical twin-screw extruders, flake-to-perform processing, and liquid state polycondensation. Meanwhile, compliance with food safety and other regulatory requirement are the driver of other new announcements.
