Automotive industry – BMW Group and PreZero Accelerate Circular Economy Transformation, Powering Sustainable Automotive Recycling and Supply Chain Resilience Across Europe’s Industrial Landscape – Polymer Price Trends” 16-02-2026
Automotive industry – Full price table (09/02/2026 →16/02/2026)
| ITEM | 09/02/2026 | 16/02/2026 | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle grade PET chips domestic market | 6,250 yuan/ton | 6,250 yuan/ton | – |
| Chinese bottle-grade PET chips FOB export price | 835 $/ton | 840 $/ton | +5 |
| LDPE CFR Est China | 1,020 $/ton | 1,015 $/ton | -5 |
| PET Semidull — Fiber chips | 5,900 yuan/ton | 5,920 yuan/ton | +20 |
| PET Bright — Fiber chips | 5,930 yuan/ton | 5,950 yuan/ton | +20 |
| Pure Terephthalic Acid PTA domestic market | 5,110 yuan/ton | 5,140 yuan/ton | +30 |
| Pure Terephthalic Acid PTA FOB China | 660 $/ton | 665 $/ton | +5 |
| Monoethyleneglycol (MEG) South China | 3,800 yuan/ton | 3,820 yuan/ton | +20 |
| Monoethyleneglycol (MEG) CFR China | 442 $/ton | 442 $/ton | – |
| Paraxylene PX FOB Taiwan market | 874 $/ton | 877 $/ton | +3 |
| Paraxylene PX FOB South-Korea market | 875 $/ton | 878 $/ton | +3 |
| Paraxylene PX FOB EU market | 876 $/ton | 881 $/ton | +5 |
| Polyester filament POY 150D/48F domestic market | 7,050 yuan/ton | 7,050 yuan/ton | – |
| Recycled Polyester filament POY domestic market | 6,050 yuan/ton | 6,050 yuan/ton | – |
| Polyester filament DTY 150D/48F domestic market | 8,100 yuan/ton | 8,150 yuan/ton | +50 |
| Polyester filament FDY 68D/24F | 7,950 yuan/ton | 7,950 yuan/ton | – |
| Polyester filament FDY 150D/96F domestic market | 7,250 yuan/ton | 7,250 yuan/ton | – |
| Polyester staple fiber 1.4D 38mm domestic market | 6,620 yuan/ton | 6,625 yuan/ton | +5 |
| Caprolactam (CPL) domestic market | 9,850 yuan/ton | 9,925 yuan/ton | +75 |
| Caprolactam (CPL) CFR China | 1,100 $/ton | 1,120 $/ton | +20 |
| Nylon 6 chips overseas market | North America 2.51 $/kg
Europe 2.41 $/kg Northeast Asia ~ $1.42 /kg – $1.74 /kg Southeast Asia 1.66 $/kg Middle East 1.60 $/kg |
North America 2.65 $/kg Europe 2.425 $/kg Southeast Asia 1.785 $/kg Middle East 1.68 $/kg Northeast Asia 1.45 $/kg
|
– |
| Nylon 6 chips conventional spinning domestic market | 10,350 yuan/ton | 10,550 yuan/ton | +200 |
| Nylon 6 chips high speed spinning domestic market | 10,600 yuan/ton | 10,950 yuan/ton | +350 |
| Nylon 6.6 chips domestic market | 15,400 yuan/ton | 15,400 yuan/ton | – |
| Nylon6 Filament POY 86D/24F domestic market | 11,900 yuan/ton | 11,900 yuan/ton | – |
| Nylon6 Filament DTY 70D/24F domestic market | 14,200 yuan/ton | 14,200 yuan/ton | – |
| Nylon6 Filament FDY 70D/24F | 12,700 yuan/ton | 12,700 yuan/ton | – |
| Spandex 20D domestic market | 26,700 yuan/ton | 26,700 yuan/ton | – |
| Spandex 30D domestic market | 26,200 yuan/ton | 26,200 yuan/ton | – |
| Spandex 40D domestic market | 23,000 yuan/ton | 23,000 yuan/ton | – |
| Adipic Acid China domestic market | 8,050 yuan/ton | 8,400 yuan/ton | +350- |
| Adipic Acid Europe market | 1,820 $/ton | 1,750 $/ton | -70 |
| Benzene domestic market East China | 6,200 yuan/ton | 6,100 yuan/ton | -100 |
| Benzene CFR China | 765 $/ton | 765 $/ton | – |
| Ethylene South East market | 675 $/ton | 685 $/ton | +10 |
| Ethylene NWE market CIF | 745 $/ton | 724 $/ton | -21 |
| Acrylonitrile (ACN) domestic market | 7,500 yuan/ton | 7,350 yuan/ton | -150 |
| Acrylonitrile ACN Southeast Asia | 1,050 $/ton | 1,040 $/ton | -10- |
| Acrylic staple fiber (ASF) CFR China | 13,160 yuan/ton | 13,160 yuan/ton | – |
| VSF viscose staple fiber | 12,650 yuan/ton | 12,650 yuan/ton | – |
| PP Powder domestic market | 6.650 yuan/ton | 6,650 yuan/ton | – |
| Naphtha overseas market | 550 $/ton | 545 $/ton | -5 |
| Phenol domestic market (Jinan Dezheng / Yanshan Petrochemical, Shandong) | 6,400 yuan/ton | 6,500 yuan/ton | +100 |
| Recycled PET | 4,150 yuan/ton | 4,150 yuan/ton | – |
Automotive industry
BMW Group and PreZero Accelerate Circular Economy Transformation, Powering Sustainable Automotive Recycling and Supply Chain Resilience Across Europe’s Industrial Landscape
BMW Group and PreZero Drive Circular Economy Innovation in Europe’s Automotive Industry
The circular economy in Europe’s automotive industry is gaining new momentum as BMW Group and PreZero formalise a strategic cooperation focused on end-of-life vehicle recycling. Signed at the IPAI Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence campus in Heilbronn, Germany, the agreement sets out to create a scalable, closed-loop system that transforms used vehicles into high-quality secondary raw materials.
This initiative positions end-of-life vehicles not as waste, but as valuable material banks. By combining automotive engineering expertise with advanced recycling technologies, the partners aim to reduce reliance on primary raw materials, cut emissions and strengthen industrial resilience across Europe.
From End-of-Life Vehicle to Strategic Resource
At the core of the partnership lies a simple but transformative principle: keep components in use for as long as possible, then recover materials at the highest achievable quality. Automotive industry
The new model for circular economy in Europe’s automotive industry begins with extending component lifecycles through reuse. Parts that can safely remain in operation are reintegrated into the value chain. Once reuse is no longer viable, innovative recycling processes recover steel, aluminium, plastics and battery materials in a form suitable for reintroduction into vehicle production.
This two-stage approach addresses one of the sector’s most pressing challenges: material dependency. The automotive industry relies heavily on virgin resources, exposing manufacturers to price volatility, geopolitical risks and supply disruptions. By building a functional closed loop, BMW Group and PreZero aim to systematically reduce that dependency. Automotive industry
The shift is not incremental. It represents a structural redesign of how vehicles are conceived, dismantled and reborn as new products.
Establishing Circularity as a Business Model
For BMW Group, circularity is no longer a sustainability add-on. It is a core pillar of corporate strategy and decarbonisation.
By integrating recycling into the economic logic of vehicle production, the company aims to turn the circular economy in Europe’s automotive industry into a viable and scalable business model. The partnership with PreZero enables BMW to align design, production and recycling in a single, coherent system.
Design for recycling plays a central role. Vehicles are increasingly engineered with dismantling and material recovery in mind. This reduces complexity at end-of-life and increases the quality of secondary raw materials. Higher-quality recyclates, in turn, can replace primary inputs without compromising performance or safety.
This approach directly supports CO2 reduction targets and improves resource efficiency across the entire value chain. Automotive industry
PreZero’s Expanding Role in Automotive Recycling
PreZero, part of the Schwarz Group, brings deep expertise in material flows, sorting technologies and battery recycling. Following the acquisition of Europe’s largest battery recycling facility, the company is strengthening its position as a key player in sustainable mobility infrastructure.
Within the framework of this cooperation, PreZero will contribute its knowledge of European recycling systems and industrial-scale processing capabilities. The goal is to ensure that recovered materials meet strict compliance and sustainability standards while remaining economically competitive.
Battery recycling is particularly significant. As electric vehicle adoption accelerates, the recovery of lithium, nickel, cobalt and other critical materials becomes essential for supply security. Integrating battery recycling into the broader circular economy in Europe’s automotive industry reduces environmental impact while safeguarding strategic resources. Automotive industry
The partnership effectively bridges the gap between automotive development and recycling realities, ensuring that vehicles are designed with their second life in mind.
Testing, Scaling and Industrialising Closed-Loop Systems
A defining feature of the cooperation is its focus on scalability. Rather than limiting efforts to pilot projects, BMW Group and PreZero aim to test innovative recycling processes and bring them to series maturity.
This includes:
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Joint development of efficient dismantling and material separation processes
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Optimisation of material flow management
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Integration of recycled materials back into automotive production
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Data-driven tracking of resource cycles
The collaboration leverages BMW’s in-house Recycling and Dismantling Centre, where practical insights from real-world vehicle recycling inform future design decisions. At the same time, PreZero’s operational experience ensures that solutions can function within existing European recycling infrastructures.
By aligning assembly-line decisions with recycling outcomes, the partners are embedding circularity directly into industrial practice. Automotive industry
Strengthening Europe’s Industrial Resilience
The broader ambition goes beyond environmental responsibility. The circular economy in Europe’s automotive industry is increasingly seen as a strategic tool for resilience and competitiveness.
Europe’s automotive sector faces mounting pressures: supply chain instability, stricter environmental regulations, rising raw material costs and rapid technological transformation. Closed-loop recycling reduces exposure to external shocks and enhances material sovereignty. Automotive industry
Reusing components and recovering high-quality steel, aluminium and plastics lowers dependence on imported primary materials. This strengthens domestic value chains and supports long-term industrial stability.
In addition, circular systems create new economic opportunities. Advanced recycling technologies, digital tracking of materials and innovative dismantling methods generate employment and foster technological leadership.
Designing the Automotive Value Chain for Circularity
A key differentiator of this cooperation is knowledge transfer across the entire lifecycle of a vehicle.
BMW contributes expertise in vehicle architecture, material science and manufacturing processes. PreZero provides insights into post-consumer material streams and advanced sorting technologies. Together, they are building a feedback loop where recycling realities directly influence future vehicle design.
This integrated perspective is essential for scaling the circular economy in Europe’s automotive industry. Without alignment between design and recycling, material recovery remains inefficient and economically fragile. Automotive industry
The ultimate objective is clear: keep materials and components in the loop for as long as possible while maintaining the highest quality standards.
A Turning Point for Sustainable Mobility
The strategic cooperation between BMW Group and PreZero marks a decisive step toward industrial-scale circularity. It demonstrates that environmental responsibility and economic performance are not opposing forces but mutually reinforcing drivers.
By transforming end-of-life vehicles into strategic material reservoirs, the partners are redefining resource management in mobility. The initiative sets a benchmark for how manufacturers and recyclers can collaborate to build resilient, low-carbon value chains. Automotive industry
As regulatory frameworks tighten and consumer expectations evolve, scalable circular models will become a competitive necessity. BMW Group and PreZero are positioning themselves at the forefront of this transformation, accelerating the transition toward a robust and resource-efficient automotive ecosystem in Europe.
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