Polymer market insights
Quarterly market reports, supply-chain analysis, and regulatory deep-dives. Written for procurement teams that already read ICIS, focused on the working takeaway rather than the hot take.
European Polymer Market Q1 2026
PE and PP contracts settled flat to slightly down in Q1 against a softening monomer cost base. Demand recovery from the 2024–2025 destocking cycle remains uneven across Germany, Italy and Iberia.
Red Sea Shipping Disruption: Impact on European Resin Supply
Cape-routing has added 14–18 days to Middle East and Asian polymer arrivals. We map how the disruption rebalances supply share between Antwerp, Rotterdam and Mediterranean entry points.
PPWR: What Procurement Teams Need to Know
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation reshapes specifications across PET, PP and flexible PE. Recycled-content thresholds, design-for-recycling, and reuse targets: the operational checklist for 2025–2030.
Recycled Content Mandates: EU 2026 State of Play
rPET supply has tightened materially since the 25% beverage-bottle threshold took effect. Mass-balance ISCC Plus volumes for rPE and rPP are growing but remain a fraction of demand under PPWR.
Polymer Prices vs Oil: Six-Year Correlation
We rebuilt the PE, PP, PVC and PET price series against Brent and Henry Hub from 2020 to early 2026. The correlation breaks down in two distinct regimes, and the 2024–2025 spread compression hints at a third.