European PET Recycling Standards Mark Historic Step Toward Stronger Circular Packaging, Improved Material Quality, and Greater Sustainability Across the Entire Plastics Value Chain – Polymers and Petrochemicals prices 24-11-2025
European PET recycling standards – Engineering plastics – Full price table (017/11/2025 → 24/11/2025)
| ITEM | 17/11/2025 | 24/11/2025 | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle grade PET chips domestic market | 5,760 yuan/ton | 5,690 yuan/ton | -70 |
| Chinese bottle-grade PET chips FOB export price | 760 $/ton | 760 $/ton | – |
| LDPE CFR Est China | 1,015 $/ton | 990 $/ton | -25 |
| PET Semidull — Fiber chips | 5,590 yuan/ton | 5,550 yuan/ton | -40 |
| PET Bright — Fiber chips | 5,620 yuan/ton | 5,580 yuan/ton | -40 |
| Pure Terephthalic Acid PTA domestic market | 4,620 yuan/ton | 4,625 yuan/ton | +5 |
| Pure Terephthalic Acid PTA FOB China | 610 $/ton | 607 $/ton | -3 |
| Monoethyleneglycol (MEG) South China | 4,140 yuan/ton | 4,100 yuan/ton | -40 |
| Monoethyleneglycol (MEG) CFR China | 468 $/ton | 462 $/ton | -6 |
| Paraxylene PX FOB Taiwan market | 809 $/ton | 801 $/ton | -8 |
| Paraxylene PX FOB South-Korea market | 810 $/ton | 802 $/ton | -8 |
| Paraxylene PX FOB EU market | 832 $/ton | 834 $/ton | +2 |
| Polyester filament POY 150D/48F domestic market | 6,600 yuan/ton | 6,600 yuan/ton | – |
| Recycled Polyester filament POY domestic market | 6,050 yuan/ton | 6,050 yuan/ton | – |
| Polyester filament DTY 150D/48F domestic market | 7,875 yuan/ton | 7,875 yuan/ton | – |
| Polyester filament FDY 68D/24F | 7,550 yuan/ton | 7,550 yuan/ton | – |
| Polyester filament FDY 150D/96F domestic market | 6,850 yuan/ton | 6,850 yuan/ton | – |
| Polyester staple fiber 1.4D 38mm domestic market | 6,400 yuan/ton | 6,350 yuan/ton | -50 |
| Caprolactam (CPL) domestic market | 8,325 yuan/ton | 8,675 yuan/ton | +350 |
| Caprolactam (CPL) CFR China | 1,310 $/ton | 1,240 $/ton | -70 |
| Nylon 6 chips — overseas market | China (Northeast Asia): $1.43/kg
Southeast Asia: $1.78/kg Middle East: $1.65/kg Europe $2.55/kg North America $2.80/kg |
Northeast Asia (China, Korea, Japan) $1.32/kg Southeast Asia $1.62/kg Middle East $1.50/kg Europe $2.37/kg North America $2.47/kg |
— |
| Nylon 6 chips conventional spinning domestic market | 9,150 yuan/ton | 9,350 yuan/ton | +200 |
| Nylon 6 chips high speed spinning domestic market | 9,300 yuan/ton | 9,650 yuan/ton | +350 |
| Nylon 6.6 chips domestic market | 14,200 yuan/ton | 14,200 yuan/ton | – |
| Nylon6 Filament POY 86D/24F domestic market | 11,300 yuan/ton | 11,300 yuan/ton | – |
| Nylon6 Filament DTY 70D/24F domestic market | 13,500 yuan/ton | 13,500 yuan/ton | – |
| Nylon6 Filament FDY 70D/24F | 11,800 yuan/ton | 11,800 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 | 6,850 yuan/ton | 6,750 yuan/ton | -100 |
| Adipic Acid Europe market | 1,840 $/ton | 1,840 $/ton | – |
| Benzene domestic market East China | 5,400 yuan/ton | 5,350 yuan/ton | -50 |
| Benzene CFR China | 690 $/ton | 712 $/ton | +22 |
| Ethylene South East market | 725 $/ton | 720 $/ton | -5 |
| Ethylene NWE market CIF | 646 $/ton | 639 $/ton | -7 |
| Acrylonitrile (ACN) domestic market | 8,075 yuan/ton | 8,125 yuan/ton | +50 |
| Acrylonitrile ACN Southeast Asia | 1,12 $/ton | 1,21 $/ton | +90 |
| Acrylic staple fiber (ASF) CFR China | 13,915 yuan/ton | 13,915 yuan/ton | – |
| VSF viscose staple fiber | 12,950 yuan/ton | 12,950 yuan/ton | – |
| PP Powder domestic market | 6,250 yuan/ton | 6,230 yuan/ton | -20 |
| Naphtha overseas market | 540 $/ton | 530 $/ton | -10 |
| Phenol domestic market (Jinan Dezheng / Yanshan Petrochemical, Shandong) | 6,251 yuan/ton | 6,250 yuan/ton | -1 |
| Recycled PET | 4,250 yuan/ton | 4,250 yuan/ton | – |
European PET recycling standards – European PET Recycling Standards Mark Historic Step Toward Stronger Circular Packaging, Improved Material Quality, and Greater Sustainability Across the Entire Plastics Value Chain
European PET Recycling Standards Set a New Foundation for Circular Packaging in Europe
The European packaging industry has reached a milestone with the introduction of the European PET recycling standards, a set of technical guidelines designed to improve recyclability, enhance material quality, and support the transition toward circular packaging. These standards, developed within the pr EN18120 series, provide the first harmonized design-for-recycling rules that will support the upcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. European PET recycling standards
Developed through the European Committee for Standardization, the EN18120 series offers a neutral, scientific, and consensus-driven foundation. These standards will form the technical backbone of the delegated act expected from the European Commission by January 2028. Their purpose is clear: guide packaging manufacturers and recyclers toward a unified and efficient recycling system that works across all European markets.
A Collaborative Effort Across the Entire Plastics Value Chain
The creation of the European PET recycling standards is the result of three years of intense collaboration involving nearly 150 expert meetings. More than 25 of those meetings focused exclusively on PET bottles, reflecting the sector’s importance in Europe’s recycling ecosystem.
Hundreds of experts contributed, representing material producers, converters, retailers, brands, recyclers, researchers, technology providers, testing laboratories, and national standardization bodies. Their combined experience helped ensure that each technical requirement was tested, validated, and aligned with real industrial needs. European PET recycling standards
The CEN process provided a rules-based and transparent environment. Every technical element was reviewed multiple times, supported by data, and approved under strict European consensus procedures.
Key Principles Behind the New Standards
Several core principles guided the creation of the European PET recycling standards:
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Recycling industry representatives, including national and European associations, participated fully and contributed essential technical expertise.
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Every requirement passed with consensus, meaning all sectors — including recyclers — approved the final version.
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The standards integrate long-term real-world experience from the European PET Bottle Platform and the Tray Circularity Evaluation Platform, both of which have shaped best practices for nearly two decades.
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PETCORE Europe and many of its members played a central role, ensuring representation of retailers, brand owners, raw material producers, converters, and recyclers. European PET recycling standards
Because of this transparent and inclusive process, the resulting standards reflect both industrial realities and the operational needs of European recycling facilities.
A Unified System to Improve Recyclability at Scale
The European PET recycling standards are not intended to be the final version of design rules. Instead, they represent Europe’s first harmonized framework to:
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Improve recyclability at scale
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Enhance material quality and sorting efficiency
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Support long-term investment decisions
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Enable Europe to meet the 2030 recyclability and recycled-content targets set by the PPWR
For brands and packaging manufacturers, these standards provide clear, harmonized design criteria that finally bridge longstanding gaps in the internal market. For recyclers, the standards deliver predictability and encourage investment in high-quality output that aligns with future regulations. European PET recycling standards
This unified technical base is the strongest foundation the European plastics value chain has ever built together. It supports circularity, innovation, and economic stability across all EU markets.
Standards Built for Innovation and Future Technologies
Although robust, the current standards represent only the first step. As innovation accelerates — from new materials to advanced sorting technologies — refinements will be needed.
To support continuous improvement, the industry proposes the creation of a permanent PET value chain platform, coordinated by Petcore Europe. The platform would:
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Support and monitor the rollout of the standards
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Assess their impact on recycling quality, yield, and economic performance
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Track technological innovations relevant for future updates
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Gather feedback from the entire value chain, including collectors, converters, brand owners, preprocessors, and recyclers
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Prepare technical material for future revisions within the CEN framework
The first formal revision is expected before the end of 2027. Petcore Europe has already committed to contributing scientific data, operational insights, and field evaluations to strengthen the next version.
Supporting Europe’s Circular Goals for 2030 and Beyond
The European PET recycling standards represent a major step toward Europe’s long-term circularity goals. By providing clear rules, scientific validation, and a shared technical language, these standards ensure that packaging design aligns with actual recycling capabilities in Europe.
The value chain will continue working closely with the European Commission and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that these standards evolve alongside technological progress and regulatory expectations. With this harmonized foundation, Europe is now better equipped to build a cleaner, more efficient, and more truly circular packaging system.
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