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Latest market news

US PET bottle recycling rate falls in 2024

  • Market: Petrochemicals
  • 11/12/25

The US recycling rate for PET bottles fell to 30.2pc in 2024, down from 32.5pc in 2023, but remained higher than the 2014-2023 average of 29.5pc, according to the latest data from the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR).

US PET bottle collection volumes fell 3.9pc in 2024 to 1,889mn lbs from 1,965mn lbs in 2023, which is the highest annual volume on record.

The collection rate also slipped to 39.2pc in 2024, although it remained above the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's 30pc benchmark for recycling scale, NAPCOR said.

PET bottle reclaimers processed 88pc of all PET bottles collected for recycling in 2024, up by 1pc from 2023. Reclaimers processed 1,966mnlbs of material in 2024, up by 1.5pc from 2023, by supplementing domestic bottle supply with imported material and alternative feedstocks.

The rPET bottle content rate fell to 15.9pcin 2024, down from 16.2pc in 2023, but above the previous three-year average of 13.7pc.

Sales of rPET to US and Canadian end-markets declined by 3pc from 2023 to 1,733mn lbs in 2024, while imports of rPET reached 395mn lbs, accounting for a record high of 23pc of the total rPET supply.

Bottle applications represented more than 60pc of domestic rPET sales.

The proportion of material successfully recovered during rPET reclamation in the US and Canada increased to 85.2pc in 2024 from 81.5pc in 2023. The increase reflects higher recovery and reuse of materials. Recovery of PET thermoform — a type of PET packaging made by molding plastic sheets into a container — increased by 52pc to 264mn lbs, which helped compensate for declines in bottle volumes. Reclaimers recycled four times morenon-usual feedstock, such as post-industrial scrap and chemical recycling material, than in 2023, driven by chemical recycling technologies operating at scale.

By Dona Davis

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15/12/25

Japan’s Mitsui Chemicals to raise S Korea MDI output

Japan’s Mitsui Chemicals to raise S Korea MDI output

Tokyo, 15 December (Argus) — Japanese petrochemical company Mitsui Chemicals plans to boost output capacity of its methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) plant in South Korea's South Jeolla province by May 2027. Mitsui Chemicals aims to raise MDI production capacity at the plant by 100,000 t/yr to 710,000 t/yr, from 610,000 t/yr, the company said on 15 December. Kumho Mitsui Chemicals, a 50:50 joint venture between Mitsui and South Korean chemicals firm Kumho Petrochemical, operates the plant. The company plans to begin construction in February 2026. It expects demand for MDI, a core material for polyurethane, to continue growing because of decarbonisation and economic growth, Mitsui Chemicals said. MDI is used for various products including automotive components, furniture, bedding and heat insulation for houses. The company believes the shift towards decarbonisation will drive MDI consumption for heat insulation, while economic growth will enhance demand for more comfortable cars and households. Mitsui Chemicals also expanded MDI production capacity at the plant by 200,000 t/yr to 610,000 t/yr in 2024 . The prospect of MDI demand growth has prompted fellow Japanese petrochemical producer Tosoh to build an MDI splitter in south Vietnam's Ba Ria–Vung Tau province, aiming to begin commercial operations by October 2026. By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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EU agrees recycled content for cars

12/12/25
News
12/12/25

EU agrees recycled content for cars

Brussels, 12 December (Argus) — The European Parliament and EU states have provisionally agreed on the end-of-life vehicles regulation. It will set mandatory targets for recycled content in new vehicles, phasing in 15pc recycled plastics content in 6 years and 25pc in 10 years. Targets for recycled steel and aluminium should also be established two years after the entry into force, after the European Commission undertakes feasibility studies. The regulation further stipulates that 20pc of the recycled plastics content targets will be achieved by plastics from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) or from used parts and components. The provisional agreement still needs to be formally adopted over the coming months by majorities of EU states and also by the whole parliament. It will extend the regulation's provisions for collection, de-pollution and removal of parts, to all regular heavy-duty vehicles, motorcycles and both small and heavy-duty special purpose vehicles (SPVs). Danish environment minister Magnus Heunicke said the deal closes loopholes and "ensures valuable materials are kept within the EU economy, and curbs the export of polluting, non-roadworthy vehicles to third countries". Three years after entry into force, the regulation will establish a cross-border extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme. Manufacturers will be financially and organisationally responsible for their vehicles over the entire lifecycle. And the new rules aim to better distinguish used from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). Five years after entry into force of the regulation, exports of non-roadworthy used vehicles will be banned to in order to retain recycled materials within the EU. "This agreement sets realistic targets and minimises administrative requirements," said German centre-right EPP's Jens Gieseke MEP, parliament's lead negotiator from the environment committee. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Commodity rail shippers push for more train data

11/12/25
News
11/12/25

Commodity rail shippers push for more train data

Houston, 11 December (Argus) — Industrial shippers of commodities like grain and petrochemicals want federal regulators to widen the scope of proposed rules that would require Class I railroads to report more data on their on-time service performance. US rail regulator the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in September put the industry on notice that it intends to issue rules to require that each of the six biggest railroads, including Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, report two new categories of performance data to the agency. The first would benchmark railroads' shipments against their original estimated time of arrival (OETA) and the second would measure "industry spot and pull" data, or ISP, to determine whether shipments are picked up and delivered within their planned service window. The board action aims to address rail shippers' long-running concerns that unpredictable rail service is a wild card in their supply chains, as many shippers rely nearly completely on rail to get their goods to market. The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), an industry group that lobbies for US refiners and petrochemical manufacturers, applauded the STB for working to address "chronic freight rail service failures." The OETA is meant to track a carrier's targeted arrival time when it dispatches a cargo and then flag the percentage of weekly shipments that reach their destinations no later than 24 hours after an intended target, the STB said in its proposal. The AFPM, whose members include companies like Dow, Occidental Chemical and Ineos who collectively ship about 2.5mn carloads a year, said OETA data should be broken out by region, terminal, and corridor "to reveal localized bottlenecks often masked by system averages." As proposed, the STB's OETA measurement would apply to manifest train service, where trains haul an assortment of railcar types, and not to unit trains, which exclusively haul one railcar type or bulk commodity, such as coal, grain or crude. Grain shippers and the US Department of Agriculture disagreed with the STB's decision to exclude unit train shipments from the OETA measurement. The National Grain and Feed Association, whose members include Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge and other biofuels makers, said that late unit train deliveries of commodities like grain, ethanol or coal "can result in proportionally greater harm to the shipper/receiver" than smaller manifest shipments. The USDA agreed that unit train shipments should be included in the OETA measurement, and pointed out that about 75pc of US railed corn and soybean shipments in 2023 traveled in trains hauling more than 75 railcars, which would not be captured by manifest shipment data. Demand for agricultural products is highly seasonal, and missed delivery windows "can halt processing lines, disrupt export programs, and force shippers to carry excess private car inventory to buffer uncertainty," the agency said. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), which lobbies on behalf of Class I railroads, pushed back on industry requests to widen the OETA to include unit train shipments, and told the STB that several railroads do not currently generate the metrics. Adding the reporting requirements "would add regulatory burden, waste resources, and misrepresent service on the network," the AAR said. By Chris Baltimore Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Brazil PE import share from US falls through Nov

10/12/25
News
10/12/25

Brazil PE import share from US falls through Nov

Sao Paulo, 10 December (Argus) — Provisional antidumping duties on polyethylene (PE) resin imports set earlier this year have so far had a limited effect on Brazilian imports, as the US remains the country's top supplier despite losing market share, according to Comexstat data. The duties, issued in August by the country's foreign trade council Gecex/Camex, set a $199.04/t duty on US PE imports and a $238.49/t for Canadian imports, both valid for up to six months. Brazil's PE imports totaled $1.49bn year-to-date November, a 1.5pc decrease compared with $1.51bn reported in the same period of 2024. Import volume increased 1.13pc in the same period, from 1.32mn tonnes (t) to 1.34mn t. The US remained the main exporter to Brazil with 896,971t from January–November, with its share of total volume falling to 66pc from 71pc. Argentina became the second-largest exporter with 199,415t, and its volume share increased to 14.8pc from 10.9pc. Canada's share fell from 5.95pc to 3.62pc in volume, totaling 48,641t in the eleven-month period. Saudi Arabia rose to fourth place with 43,026t, representing 3.21pc of the total volume. Egypt dropped to fifth place with 42,318t, accounting for 3.15pc of the total volume. Brazil's PE exports reached $731mn from January-November, a 3.64pc decrease from $705mn in the same stretch of 2024. The total exported volume increased by 5.13pc to 568,537t from 540,773t. Argentina remained the leading importer of Brazilian PE in the period, buying 115,752t, up 19.4pc from the previous year. Chile surged to second place with 69,587t, a decrease of 8.74pc in volume year on year. Belgium dropped to third place for Brazilian PE imports with 68,759t, up 0.79pc compared with January–November 2024. China ranked fourth with 48,831t, a 4.36pc growth in the interval. Peru closed the top five at 46,615t, a 14.9pc increase from the same period last year. By Isabela Mendes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Oman's polymer industry gets $70mn in investments

09/12/25
News
09/12/25

Oman's polymer industry gets $70mn in investments

Dubai, 9 December (Argus) — Omani state-owned energy company OQ signed 11 agreements worth in excess of $70mn under the Ladayn Polymer Programme (LPP) on the sidelines of the 19th Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Forum in Bahrain today. Six are new projects, and five are expansion of existing projects, Ladayn programme head Mundhar Saleh Al Rawahi told Argus . The investments are aimed at strengthening Oman's ability to convert locally-produced polymers into higher-value products. The projects will offtake more than 90,000 t/yr of raw materials from OQ. Around 70pc of the output will be exported, while 30pc will be consumed domestically, according to Al Rawahi. The agreements were signed with a "diverse set of local, regional and international polymer manufacturers", and cover a broad range of product categories responding to national priorities and market demand. Nine factories will be inaugurated, Al Rawahi said, which will offtake a furhter 100,000 t/yr raw materials from OQ. The 11 agreements bring investments into the LPP programme to around $220mn. The LPP project, located in Sohar Industrial City, was first announced in 2023 . The programme is jointly developed by OQ and state-owned Madayn. LPP is located near the OQ polymer complex in Sohar, which supplies it with polymers, primarily polyethylene and polypropylene. The agreements are in line with Oman's Vision 2040, which aims to develop the private sector while moving away from hydrocarbon use. By Ieva Paldaviciute and Rithika Krishna Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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