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-China – Polyethylene Terephthalate PET and its chain are assessed mixed.

PET Bottle grade export 1,160/1,195 $/ton – PET Bottle grade domestic market 9,150/9,250 yuan/ton – PET Filament grade SD domestic market 8,900/9,050 yuan/ton – PET Filament grade BR domestic market 8,900/9,000 yuan/ton

PTA Taiwan 945/955 $/ton – PTA domestic market 7,150/7,250 yuan/ton – MEG $ 795/815 $/ton – MEG domestic market 6,800/6,900 yuan/ton – PX Korea 1,210/1,220 $/ton

POY 150D/48F  domestic market 9,750/9,850  yuan/ton – DTY 150D/48F  domestic market 11,650/11,750  yuan/ton – PSF domestic market 9,950/10,050  yuan/ton

-JXTG Nippon Oil lowered November contract price of benzene by USD45 per ton 

JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy (part of Nippon Oil Corporation), a major producer of petrochemicals in Japan, announced the November contract price of benzene for USD45 per ton, compared with October deliveries to the Asian market to USD815 per ton.

Prices were agreed on the terms of delivery CFR Asia.

The spot prices of benzene in the second half of October were on average at USD770 per tonne, FOB Asia as a result of falling oil prices and demand from styrene production.

Earlier it was reported that JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy set the October contract price of benzene in Asia at USD860 per ton, which is USD40 per ton lower compared to the contract price of September.

-Jiangyin Chengxing plans to launch production of PET on a new line in Qianjin 

Jiangyin Chengxing Industrial Group, a major Chinese manufacturer of petrochemical products, plans to start production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) on a new line in Qianzhin (Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, China) this week.

The capacity of the new line will be 600 thousand tons of PET per year.

Earlier it was reported that the company planned to launch this line on June 1 of the current year.

According to the ICIS-MRC price review , the supply of injection-molded PET granules from non -CIS countries to Russia in September amounted to 10.1 thousand tons against 10.5 thousand tons a month earlier and 3 thousand tons in September last year.

–Crude Oil Prices Trend

-Spain’s chems sales, output to slow down in 2019 on crude prices, trade war and Brexit

Spain’s chemicals are expected to suffer a slowdown in 2019 on the back of the threats related to higher crude oil prices, the US-China trade war and the UK’s departure from the EU, the country’s chemicals trade group FEIQUE said on Tuesday.

Sales are expected to rise 4.6% in 2018, year on year, totalling €66bn, up from €63bn in 2017.

However, sales growth will slow down in 2019, up by 2.6% to €67.7bn, according to FEIQUE’s estimates.

The slowdown – already noted in the second half of this year – will come after Spain’s chemicals enjoyed a stellar 2017 on the back of strong domestic demand and higher selling prices. Sales rose 7% during 2017, year on year.

-Solvay to debut polyamides for personal protection, safety systems in vehicles

Solvay Performance Polyamides plans to introduce a range of six Technyl and Technyl Star polyamide (PA) grades offering high degrees purity based on dedicated formulations and clean compounding. Two of these grades use bio-based, eco-friendly Technyl eXten technology for applications needing high temperature combined with glycol resistance. The range will be commercially available early 2019.

“Halogens and phosphorus contained in PA have been identified as major contributors to galvanic corrosion, a potential source of system failure and short-circuits which could lead to fire,” says Dr. James Mitchell, Automotive Market Director for Solvay’s Performance Polyamide global business unit. “Safety is not an option! We have developed a range of materials with high levels of purity to help automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers ensure the protection of systems from corrosion and ionic migration.”

-Bio-on gives license for production of bioplastic in Russia to TAIF Group for euro 17.6 million

Bio-On Russia Licence for BioplasticsBio-on gives license for production of bioplastic in Russia to TAIF Group. Russia for Euro 17.6 million.

Signed in the presence of Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin and Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Moscow, the agreement will improve technological and commercial relations between Italy and Russia.

Under the agreement, Bio-on, the Italian company, will get Euro 5.6 million for licensing the technology to produce 100% natural and biodegradable PHAs bioplastic from sugar by-products, and Euro 12 million for supplying high-tech fermenters design plants according to the Bi-on proprietary technology to the TAIF JSC group.

-Evonik: 3D Printing Machinery Needs to Catch Up with Materials

Evonik Industries is the largest specialty chemical company in the world, and it has not been afraid to involve itself with 3D printing, working with HP on the development of high performance 3D printing materials.

The company is also a long term supplier of polyamide powder for laser sintering. The PA 12 polyamide powders (PA2200) used by both EOS and 3D Systems both came from Evonik. Recently, the company developed a PEBA powder for laser sintering, high speed sintering and binder jetting.

The flexible material will allow manufacturers to create soft structures like damping elements, tubes, hoses and sealants, according to Sylvia Monsheimer, Evonik’s Head of New 3D Technologies.

Evonik is poised to deliver more high-performance materials, too – but first, Monsheimer said, 3D printing machinery needs to catch up in terms of production capability.

-UK to tax plastic packaging with less than 30% of recycled content

The UK government said on Monday it plans to introduce a tax on produced or imported plastic packaging that does not include at least 30% of recycled content.

The country’s Chancellor Philip Hammond said during his Budget speech that the cabinet is aiming to introduce the tax by April 2022, following a consultation process.

“This is a brand-new tax and will be a world leading approach. Business will have until April 2022 to adapt their processes before the introduction of the tax,” said the UK cabinet on its website.

-SC Johnson boosts plastic recycling efforts

The company wants to triple the amount of postconsumer recycled plastic in its packaging.

Pictured above: Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson, and David Katz, CEO of Plastic Bank, open the first of eight recycling centers in Indonesia.

SC Johnson, Racine, Wisconsin, made several commitments to further reduce its plastic footprint by boosting its recycled plastic content in its packaging. According to an SC Johnson news release, the company plans to do this by supporting reuse of plastic bottles through concentrated refills and launching an effort to make Ziploc bags recyclable at curbside.

“At SC Johnson, being an environmental leader has been a principle we have worked hard at for generations,” says Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson, in a company news release.

-Nova rolls October, November PE hikes for US, Canada markets: letter

Nova Chemicals is delaying a previously announced 3-cent/lb price increase on all grades of polyethylene sold in US and Canada, according to a letter to customers obtained Tuesday by S&P Global Platts.

Nova will now seek hikes of 3 cents/lb ($66/mt) on PE in each of the last two months of 2018, after previously announcing increases in October and November, the October 29 letter said. The separate 3-cent/lb hikes will now take effect November 1 and December 1.

While no other producers have been heard officially delaying increases, some US buyers were settling October contracts at a rollover to September prices, sources said, adding that all US producers had given up on the current month.

-Pack Expo 2018: 5 breakthrough plastic packaging innovations

Pack Expo Intl. 2018 held October 14-17 presented a wide-angle view of packaging boasting 2,500 exhibitors across 1.25 million net square feet of Chicago’s McCormick Place and drew nearly 45,000 attendees.

It was an extravaganza of all things packaging including an impressively high level of plastics packaging innovation and product introductions. We’ve distilled an impressive and diverse number of notable developments in retail, ecommerce, beverage, food packaging and other markets down to this listing of five exemplary new products and will be reporting on others just as remarkable in the days ahead.

The list starts with the industry’s first look at the ecommerce-optimized Dromo PET packaging system from PTI (Holland, OH) that launched at the show. Pack Expo 2018 Dromo Thierry F

-Sealed Air pledges packaging products will be 100% recyclable or reusable by 2025

A focus on product design, recovery processes, renewable and recycled materials to drive innovations that enhance performance and efficiency.

Sealed Air Corporation has announced a sustainability and plastics pledge to design its packaging solutions to be 100% recyclable or reusable by 2025.

The company will accelerate its use of recycled materials, expand reuse models for packaging and lead the collaboration with partners worldwide to ensure execution.

“At Sealed Air, we strive to leave our world, environment and communities better than we found them by leading innovative efforts to create differentiated, sustainable solutions,” said Ted Doheny, Sealed Air president and CEO. “Our history of sustainability is strengthened through our new sustainability and plastics pledge and, as an industry leader, it’s our responsibility to build a waste-free future, keep our oceans clean and leave a lighter carbon footprint.”

-Reliance Industries: Traceable, recycled bedding to go on sale in US next year

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Monday said a new brand of bedding products by home textiles maker GHCL Ltd, Cirkularity, using its ecofriendly high-quality fibre will be available for sale in the United States from the first quarter of 2019.

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Monday said a new brand of bedding products by home textiles maker GHCL Ltd, Cirkularity, using its ecofriendly high-quality fibre will be available for sale in the United States from the first quarter of 2019.

The brand platform is inspired by Rekoop, the first bedding solution to use Applied DNA`s CertainT platform and Reliance Industries` Recron GreenGold fiber for source verification and traceability of recycled polyester across the supply chain, RIL said in a release.

-Nine out of ten seabirds now have plastic in their stomach, report warns

A shock new report showed 90 per cent of all sea birds had plastic traces

Global wildlife populations are said to have fallen 60 per cent since 1970

Plastic pollution is driving down the numbers of sea creatures and birds

The percentage of seabirds with plastic in their stomach has increased to 90 per cent from 5 per cent in 1960, a shocking report reveals.

Plastic pollution is one of the worst ways man is adversely affecting the environment.

Global wildlife populations have fallen by 60 per cent since 1970 as humans overuse natural resources, driving climate change and pollution.

Only a quarter of the world’s land area is free from the impacts of human activity and by 2050 that will have fallen to just a tenth, the Living Planet Report 2018 says.

-Dispatches from Europe: A step to stem the plastic tide 

Single-use plastics are everywhere, with most of us regularly relying on the convenience of products such as plastic bags, straws, utensils, takeaway coffee cups, food packaging and water bottles.

But it’s also becoming clear we have made, used and disposed of too many. According to one recent academic analysis, only 9 percent of all plastic ever created has been recycled, 12 percent has been incinerated and the rest – 79 percent – has been dumped in landfills or littered in the natural environment (intentionally or not)

-Lycra unveils new technologies at annual event

Invista, owner of the Lycra, Thermolite and Coolmax brands, and an innovation leader in the legwear segment, has introduced three latest hosiery innovations at the fifth edition of Lycra Fiber Moves conference that took place in Lake Como, Italy, on 18 October, marking the brand’s 60th anniversary. Held every two years, this exclusive event attracts around 200 representatives from leading knitters, coverers, distributors, brands and retailers to learn about new market insights and trends, as well as Invista’s latest technologies for socks and hosiery.

“Legwear is a very important market for Lycra. But ten years ago, we sat down and realised there is no seminar for this segment,” said Alistair Williamson, Sales Director at Invista, during his opening address. “There are events happening around the world for people working in the sportswear industry, like ISPO, or denim, such as Kingpins, which takes place in Amsterdam next week, but there has been nothing for those involved in hosiery.”