Public outcry in Turkey over piles of plastic waste dumped on roadsides, burning, and floating in rivers led the Turkish government to ban imports of recyclable polyethylene. In 2020, imports of RPE from Western Europe totaled 360,000 tons.
Continue readingChina’s Demand for PE and PP Imports Dropped in April, 2021; Exports of PVC Continued at Record Levels
After a moderate rebound in imports in March, following the Chinese New Year Holiday, imports into China fell substantially in April. China exported extremely high volumes of PVC in both March and April.
Continue readingEthane Exports from US Hit New High in March 2021
The US exported a record 596,000 tons of ethane in March, 2021, volume YTD of 1.6 million tons up 23%. The US Energy Information Agency forecasts higher shipments to come.
Continue readingTen-Year History of Western Europe’s Trade in Recyclable Polyethylene
Over the period 2011 to 2020 there has been a dramatic drop in Western Europe’s total exports to other regions, an increase in exports to Eastern Europe which only partially compensated for much lower volumes to Asia-Pacific, and, increased trade within the region.
Continue readingTrends in US Exports of Recyclable Polymers
US exports of recyclable polymers fell from nearly 2 million tons in 2016 to 624,000 tons in 2020. The rate of decline slowed from 2018 through 2020 but new US government initiatives to cut greenhouse gases and reduce plastic waste may have an impact.
Continue readingChina’s PVC Exports Surge to a New Record
China’s exports of uncompounded PVC in March 2021 hit a monthly record of 235,000 tons, with volume for the first quarter, 520,000 tons, up 233% from the same period in 2020.
Continue readingMassive Increase in China’s Polypropylene Exports in March
China exported 245,000 tons of polypropylene homopolymer in March, 2021, roughly ten times the volume exported in prior months.
Continue readingUS Imports of Bottle-Grade PET Soar
Imports in January 2021 were double what they were in the prior January. Volume trended higher for most of 2020, reaching several new record highs.
Continue readingTight Supplies of PVC Lead to Record Prices on US Exports
The average price on US exports of PVC has doubled between June 2020 and January 2021 and further increases are expected in the wake of weather-related outages in February.
Continue readingUS Polyethylene Exports Rebounded in December and January, but the Upward Trend ends in February
US exports of polyethylene slumped from August through October 2020 in the aftermath of several hurricanes, then climbed back to record territory in December. Exports to China in January were up more than double from the prior January.
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