Welcome to NEO’s weekly news monitoring of the plastics industry.
Every Monday (this time, Wednesday), we publish a roundup of the top developments in plastics and sustainability – from regulatory changes to company news.
This week’s highlights:
- Asian plastic makers have been impacted by the slow restart of U.S. refineries, which are major suppliers of naptha and propane used to make petrochemicals. Asia’s plastics giants are facing high costs as a result – while the region’s fuel producers are benefiting from the stall. (Bloomberg)
- Meanwhile, European manufacturers have been hit by a six-year high in the price of resins used to make plastic amid a slump in supplies that has had a “devastating effect” on the industry, according to the head of Polymers for Europe Alliance. Manufacturers may pass those costs on to retailers and consumers. (Financial Times)
- The EU’s environmental policies on packaging waste are largely set by the packaging industry itself, according to an investigation by EU Observer. Through a network of Green Dot organisations, the packaging sector has lobbied against various regulations on plastic packaging to prevent more responsibility and costs being placed on producers. (EU Observer)