Unlike prior years, imports of commodity polymers did not surge into China toward yearend 2021 in advance of the Chinese Year slowdown. Also unusual was the sharp rise in exports out of China in December. The year ended with commodity polymer imports down 19%, to 27.5 million tons, and exports up 74%, to 8.9 million tons.
Continue readingMonthly Archives: January 2022
Trends in Russia’s Exports of Polyolefins
Much lower exports to Asia-Pacific in 2021 versus 2020, due to a steep drop in shipments to China, shifted Russian exports toward Eastern Europe, Western Europe and, with smaller volumes, Latin America and Africa.
Continue readingThe Volume of Recyclable Polymers Traded Globally Increased in 2021 After Years of Declines
The increase in 2021 was unusual and may have related to virgin polymer shortages.
Continue readingGrowth in the Volume of Polyolefins Traded Globally was Arrested in 2021 by Supply Issues; a Rebound in 2022 is Likely as Supply Increases
The trend in global trade volume generally indicates the trend in demand for polymers that are widely traded, but this depends on supply availability. A strong upward trend was evident in global trade in 2019 and 2020 for linear polyethylene, HDPE and PP homopolymer, but not in 2021.
Continue readingStrong Domestic Demand and Supply Constraints Reflected in US Polymer Imports and Exports Through November 2021 and also in US Imports of Fabricated Plastic Products.
US statistics through November show imports across all commodity polymers up 17% from the same period the year before, exports down 15%, and fabricated plastic product imports up 23%.
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