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Westlake sees rebounding PVC demand in 2026

  • Spanish Market: Chemicals, Petrochemicals
  • 30/10/25

Texas-based housing and construction product manufacturer Westlake expects global polyvinyl chloride (PVC) demand and prices to rebound in 2026, as lower interest rates in the US and capacity cuts in Europe could fuel stronger market conditions.

The US Federal Reserve cut its target interest rate by 50 basis points between its September and October meetings, raising hopes for moderately stronger housing demand next year. Housing is a critical derivative market for PVC producers.

Additionally, capacity reductions in Europe will help balance global PVC supplies, which remained persistently oversupplied in recent years because of new capacity in China.

Poor housing demand this year contributed to nominally lower sales revenue in Westlake's housing and infrastructure segment during the third quarter. Revenue slumped by 1pc to $1.09bn compared with the same three-month period last year. Strong municipal demand for PVC pipes for water treatment systems supported a 1pc increase in the company's infrastructure productions segment sales revenue to $163mn, which was countered by a 1pc decrease in housing product sales at $928mn during the third quarter.

Data for US construction spending, housing permits issued, and housing starts is delayed by the ongoing partial partial federal government shutdown, which impacts the US Census Bureau's ability to publish monthly statistics. The latest data from August showed an 11pc yearly drop in privately-owned housing permits issued and a 6pc drop in housing starts. The latest Census Bureau construction spending data, released for July, showed a 5.3pc year-to-year drop in private residential spending and a 10pc drop in commercial spending.

Sales from Westlake's performance and essential materials (PEM) segment — which includes olefins, vinyl chemicals, polyetheylene, and epoxies — also declined during the third quarter, falling by 13pc to $1.74bn. Westlake said dampened demand in Europe and Asia limited PEM sales during the quarter. Planned turnarounds and plant outages contributed to the year-over-year sales decrease.

Overall, Westlake reported a $782mn loss during the third quarter, down from a $108mn profit in the third quarter of 2024. Total revenue slipped by 9pc to $2.84bn for the quarter.

By Gordon Pollock

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03/12/25

Global bioplastics production set to rise: Correction

Global bioplastics production set to rise: Correction

Corrects name of EUBP secretary general in final paragraph. This story was originally published on 2 December London, 3 December (Argus) — Global bio-based plastic production capacity is set to double to 4.7mn t by 2030, according to the latest report from the industry association European Bioplastics (EUBP). The organisation published a report with the Nova Institute, which estimated that current production capacity is roughly 2.31mn t and represents 0.5pc of the total plastic production capacity worldwide. The bioplastics industry in 2025 operated at an overall production utilisation rate of 72pc up from 63pc reported in 2024, meaning that roughly 1.67mn t of bioplastics were produced in 2025. The association noted that depending on the bio-polymer and production region in question utilisation rates varied massively. In 2025, polylactic acid (PLA) production capacity represented 26.4pc of the total production followed by bio-polyamide production (bio-PA). Bio-polyethylene (bio-PE) production capacity stood at 12.7pc, while bio-polypropylene production capacity stood at 1pc of total global bioplastic production capacity. The report expects bio-PE production capacity to rise to 13.5pc of the total production capacity or roughly 633,000 t/yr with similar figures expected for bio-PP at 13.6pc. In Europe, the report expected stated that current bio-based production capacity in 2025 was 330,000 t/yr with 28.1pc of this coming from bio-PA, 30.3pc coming from PBAT, 5.2pc coming from bio-PE and 6.7pc coming from bio-PE. At the EUBP, conference taking place in Berlin on 2-3 December, the report's authors mentioned that they have not included mass-balanced capacities in their figures, preferring to mention only biomass feedstock-only pathways. Currently, EUBP does not recognise the mass-balanced approach as set out in a position paper but it remains under discussion, with differing opinions about the adoption of the definition counting towards bio-based material heard today at the conference. The figures also do not include bio-degradable materials that are produced from fossil fuels. By 2030, total production capacity of biobased plastics in Europe is set to rise to 800,000 t/yr. This is largely being driven by increases in bio-PE and bio-PP production. Bio-PE capacity is set to rise to 138,400 t/yr in five years time from 22,110 t/yr, while bio-PP production capacity will rise to 238,400 t/yr by 2030, up from 17,316 t/yr in 2025. This is largely set to be driven in Europe by methanol-to-polymers (MTP). The bio-plastics and chemicals industry in Europe last week reacted to the European Bioeconomy strategy . The latest version of the strategy released indicated that the European Commission would look to introduce bio-plastics as being able to count towards some content requirements. At the Berlin conference today, EUBP Secretary General, Lorenza Romanese, described the strategy as the "the best news" for the industry in Europe in recent years. By George Barsted Global bioplastics production capacity forecast Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

EU readies new bioenergy strategy

26/11/25
26/11/25

EU readies new bioenergy strategy

Brussels, 26 November (Argus) — The European Commission is today expected to adopt a new strategy aimed at boosting "nature-positive" investment and making better use of biomass. The latest version of the strategy seen by Argus deleted wording from a previous leaked draft that mentioned disincentivising "inefficient" biomass combustion, including changes to EU and national subsidies to avoid prioritising combustion over material use. Industry groups last month had criticised the previous draft strategy for "punishing" biomass combustion and ignoring the role of sustainable biofuels. The commission may still amend the current strategy document, which sets out a direction for policies but is not itself a legal proposal. Demand for biofuels will likely rise from 2025, in part thanks to the bloc's ReFuelEU Aviation and FuelEU initiatives, but sustainable biomass remains finite and its use is most effective in hard-to-abate sectors, the commission said in the document. The commission wants to add value to energy, industry, food, health and other sectors through biomass processing and biotechnology. The body said it would, for example, support uptake of bio-based plastics and novel materials by 2027 alongside recycling. Officials could also assess whether EU-wide definitions could support certification and scaling of bio-based polymers. And an EU methodology could certify long-lasting biogenic carbon storage in buildings under the carbon removal and carbon farming certification framework. The commission will issue legislation such as the upcoming BioTech Acts to bolster industrial production of bio-based chemicals and may target bio-based content requirements in some products. In the strategy, the commission and the European Investment Bank will use finance instruments to support biorefineries that incorporate new technologies. And a forthcoming Circular Economy Act aims to support biogas and biomethane production as well as using digestate as a fertiliser. A review next year of the bloc's emissions trading system will also explore potential for scalable biogenic carbon, capture, use and storage projects. The EU is also scheduled to review its Renewable Energy Directive by 2027 and assess how national biomass support schemes affect biodiversity. Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Q&A: European Bioplastics wants more EU policy support

26/11/25
26/11/25

Q&A: European Bioplastics wants more EU policy support

London, 26 November (Argus) — The bioplastics industry in Europe hopes to see more policy support for the sector from the EU, as costs and investments remain a concern even though demand from the packaging sector is growing, European Bioplastics' EU Policy Affairs manager, Julie Pieters told Argus. We have seen some regulatory support from the EU for the recycling industry with content targets, particularly in the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR), but is there any legislation that is in the works to support bio-attributed and bio-based plastics? At the moment the only thing we have in place is a communication from the European commission in 2022 on bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. But this is only a communication. In the Packaging and Packaging Plastic Waste Regulation (PPWR) there is a legislative hook for bio-based plastics. In principle, the review needs to be done by 2028 but the European Commission told us that it would like to do it before 2027. They would need to do a review of where the bio-based plastics market is today, and based on that they could begin a legislative proposal for bio-based content in plastic packaging, setting targets and seeing if bio-based content can be used to count towards recycled content targets that are already in place. Some applications of plastic packaging will also be marked as having to be made compostable. EU member states can also make this list of products longer if they wish to, so some bioplastic examples are also showing real opportunities in the field. There has also been some talk from people about having bio-based targets in other sectors like the automotive or construction field. A great example of this would be in the end-of-life vehicle regulation (ELV) proposed by the EU. Bio-based targets on plastics in cars is still in trilogues [a trilogue is a negotiation between the European parliament, the council and the European commission] so we would have to wait to see what comes out in the final directive. What are the hurdles that bioplastics producers are facing, both in Europe and globally? I think the European bio-plastics industry faces similar hurdles to other European industries — trade hurdles, investment hurdles, competition with other regions in the world. We developed a lot of the bioplastics technology in Europe but the industrialisation can often take place outside of Europe because of lower energy costs and investment opportunities. I think also policy support can help to boost the sector both in Europe and globally. We have had members of the association want to invest in Europe but in the end they have ended up going to other regions because the market is just bigger. I don't think the support mandated from the EU and the clarity for producers in Europe is not quite there yet, especially when it comes to encouragement in developing the market. What parts of the bioplastics space in Europe are currently faring well commercially, are there any products or projects that are doing particularly well? Or are there any end-use sectors that are seeing uptake? Currently, the most success we are seeing is in the packaging sector, mainly related to food packaging at the moment. Around 50pc of the bioplastics demand comes from packaging. Things like fruit and vegetable bags and compostable bin liners are doing well in terms of end-use. Polylactic Acid (PLA) is seeing some growth potential in some market segments as well with uptake. Some drop in polymers are also seeing movement for more durable goods, cosmetic packaging, automotive components as well especially if they allow for rapid substitution of fossil based carbon. Does the association have a position on the difference between feedstocks? For example take bio-attributed plastics such as bio-PE derived from bionaphtha via a mass balanced approach versus something like PLA? How do you define biomass feedstock? I think it can occasionally be a bit of complex question to answer particularly in terms of mass balance. European Bioplastics association represents all types of bioplastics and we have a position on the technology of mass balance which can help allow us to remove some fossil-fuel derived material from the plastics space but there needs to be safeguards as well, especially in terms of communication towards the consumer. In terms of biomass feedstock at the association we define it as being the material or product is partly derived from biomass (plants). Biomass used for bioplastics usually stems from material like corn, sugarcane or cellulose. It is also important to note that some material that can be biobased but not bio-degradable, some can be biodegradable but not bio-based and some can be both bio-based and bio-degradable. The European Bioplastics Conference is taking place in Berlin on 2-3 December. What are some of the key themes that will be discussed there? It's the 20th anniversary of the conference so it will look back at the last 20 years of the bioplastic industry in Europe and try to provide a snapshot of where the bioplastics market in Europe is at currently. The bioeconomy strategy report published by the European Commission just before the conference will also play a role in discussions. In the bioplastics sphere, the industry is struggling with the same kind of difficulties as the petrochemical sector in Europe, which we know is not doing well at the moment. But as it is more of an innovative sector this can provide an additional burden, especially when it comes to feedstocks and feedstock pricing. The conference is timely in the sense we see some positive policy developments coming out of Brussels and we hope they come in time to support the sector. Otherwise, the conference always provides the opportunity to discuss the latest innovations in the biobased and compostable plastics sphere and to go deeper into their functionalities. By George Barsted Argus recently launched the industry's first biochemical reference prices, built on Argus methodology and derived from ISCC-certified bio-naphtha. Published monthly and calculated from daily bionaphtha and biopropane premiums, these references cover bio-attributed ethylene, propylene, butadiene and benzene. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Brazil's Bolsonaro begins serving full sentence

25/11/25
25/11/25

Brazil's Bolsonaro begins serving full sentence

Sao Paulo, 25 November (Argus) — Brazil's supreme court (STF) today ordered former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro to begin serving his prison sentence for plotting an attempted coup. Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months . He will serve his full sentence in the federal police headquarters in capital Brasilia, where he was already jailed following a preventive arrest due to "very serious evidence" that he could try to escape on 22 November. He had been placed on strict house arrest since early August. His defense attempted to have him serve the entire sentence at home, citing severe health problems, but all appeals did not come to fruition. The defense argued that Bolsonaro deals with permanent diseases that "demand intense medical assistance". Bolsonaro has been hospitalized several times in the last two years due to complications following a stabbing he suffered while campaigning in 2018. STF also barred Bolsonaro from running for any public office until 2060. He had previously been barred from any public office until 2030 . Another six people convicted in the same trial as Bolsonaro began their full sentences Tuesday, including former vice-president candidate Walter Braga Netto, STF said. Bolsonaro's arrest leaves a window open for a more conservative presidential candidate in next year's elections to challenge current president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has already confirmed he will run for a fourth, non-consecutive term. Some early conservative options are Sao Paulo governor Tarcisio Freitas, Parana governor Ratinho Junior and some of Bolsonaro's relatives, such as his wife Michelle Bolsonaro or his son senator Flavio Bolsonaro. The elections will take place in October. By João Curi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Q&A: Marine decarbonisation to continue despite delay

24/11/25
24/11/25

Q&A: Marine decarbonisation to continue despite delay

Sao Paulo, 24 November (Argus) — The maritime sector is staying on course towards decarbonisation, with marine biofuels and LNG gaining traction in the short term, despite the IMO postponing its net-zero framework vote until October 2026, DNV global decarbonisation director Jason Stefanatos said. No single fuel is likely to be adopted at scale in the medium to long term, and alternative marine fuels will coexist as part of the path to net zero, he said. Edited highlights follow. IMO delegates have postponed a vote on the net-zero framework until next year. What's your view on the delay, and how might it impact the adoption of alternative bunker fuels? The postponement of the IMO net-zero framework highlights the need for greater clarity on its practical implementation. But while the delay creates some uncertainty, the industry's decarbonisation targets remain unchanged. DNV's October 2025 AFI data confirms that the industry's commitment to alternative fuels remains strong Which fuels are the leading trend in maritime decarbonisation in the short and long term? In the short term, both LNG and biofuels are leading trends in maritime decarbonisation because of LNG bunkering infrastructure and because biofuels are drop-in. Over the longer term, the transition will diversify, adding more fuels in the mix, with methanol, ammonia, hydrogen and e-fuels expected to play roles as technology, supply and regulatory frameworks mature. There is no trend in the long term. The most suitable fuel and technology will be determined by each operator's specific fleet characteristics, operational requirements, overall commercial objectives, as well as global and regional geopolitical decisions and developments. With the energy transition underway in the maritime sector, is ethanol an option for mid- and long-term decarbonisation? Ethanol is technically feasible as a marine fuel, and has gained more popularity in the past months due to technical developments by engine makers and developments on the supply side. Although the vast majority today does not come from sustainable biomass, it is a promising new fuel that could play a role in the future. Its similarities with methanol enable methanol-fuelled vessels to easily switch to ethanol if needed, providing further fuel flexibility, which is important during high uncertainty times. E-fuels have been identified as a potential net-zero fuel. How do you see their development as a marine fuel, considering they are not currently available at commercial scale? E-fuels are presented as a long-term solution for maritime decarbonisation, but their commercial availability and cost competitiveness remain challenges for widespread adoption. Demand is expected to grow as regulatory requirements tighten, but supply will depend on large-scale investments in renewable energy and production capacity. Ammonia is a possible alternative fuel for the future, but barriers to its adoption remain, DNV said in a recent publication. Why does it make sense to invest in ammonia as a bunker fuel when other fuels are more established and safer? Ammonia has benefits and barriers on its adoption. On the benefits side, ammonia is a fuel without carbon content, can act as a hydrogen carrier, and has some basic infrastructure and technology in place, as there are already vessels operating with ammonia. On the other hand, safety and technical issues will require a lot of industry effort to be overcome. The FuelEU Maritime regulation introduced a 2pc reduction target for GHG emissions from vessels in 2025. Individual EU countries are implementing their own RED III regulations this year. Are these emission policies driving demand for alternative fuels, or should the EU consider tightening its restrictions? And what do these regulations mean for the wider global market? These regulations are drivers for alternative fuel demand in shipping and have contributed to accelerating investment in low-GHG fuels and technologies. However, the global impact will depend on how IMO regulations will be agreed and defined by the delegates. Some uncertainty remains as further regional regulations could lead to uneven competition and increased complexity for international operators. By Natália Coelho and Gabriel Tassi Lara Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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