Involving €11.9 Million! EU Launches Strict Investigation into Greece's Plastic Recycling Projects; Coperion and Brückner Deepen Cooperation  

International News Highlights:

Policy News - EU Probes Greece on Recycling Projects 

Recycling News - Up 14.2%! Brazil's 2024 PET Recycling Volume Exceeds 410,000 Tonnes

Automotive News - Arkema's Team Awarded by ACS for Fluorosurfactant-Free PVDF for Batteries

Macroeconomic News - Iranian Ambassador to Russia: Iran Hopes to Receive Russian Natural Gas Soon

Price Information - CNY/USD Central Parity Rate Rises by 160 Pips, Marking Largest Increase in 7 Months

The Details of International News:

EU Probes Greece on Recycling Projects 
The European Union is investigating potential misuse of at least €11.9 million of EU funds in a recycling project in Greece, as the country's notorious struggle to meet Brussels' waste management standards shows no sign of ending.

Arkema's Team Awarded by ACS for Fluorosurfactant-Free PVDF for Batteries
Arkema announces that a team of its scientists and engineers was recognized with the prestigious Heroes of Chemistry Award by the American Chemical Society (ACS) for their groundbreaking work on Kynar® HSV 900 PVDF manufactured without the use of fluorosurfactant for battery applications. This recognition highlights Arkema’s long-standing commitment to innovation and sustainability in the e-mobility market.

Albis Enters Latin American Market With Tecnomatiz Acquisition

Resin distributor Albis Distribution GmbH & Co. KG is expanding its global reach with the acquisition of a majority stake in Brazilian firm Tecnomatiz Resinas Ltda., marking its official entry into the Latin American market.

Coperion and Brückner: Expansion of Partnership

Brückner Maschinenbau, the world‘s leading manufacturer of film stretching lines, has once again awarded Coperion a volume contract for ZSK twin screw extruders of the ZSK Mc18 series.
This order is based on the long-standing cooperation between Brückner and Coperion, which began back in 2008. Brückner initially used Coperion ZSK extruders for BOPP film lines. This was followed by numerous projects that the two companies successfully implemented together. In the meantime, the range of applications for film stretching lines has expanded significantly: Brückner also implements lines for BOPET, BSF, and BOPA films with ZSK extruders, among others.

Up 14.2%! Brazil's 2024 PET Recycling Volume Exceeds 410,000 Tonnes
In 2024, the amount of post-consumer PET (polyethylene terephthalate, commonly used in making plastic bottles) recycled in Brazil reached 410,000 tonnes, an increase of 14.2% compared with 2021, the last statistical year. The Brazilian PET Industry Association (ABIPET) commissioned a survey covering 142 enterprises, whose PET recycling output accounts for 84% of Brazil's total.

The enterprises participating in the survey include Valgroup, Krones Group, Indorama Ventures, Husky Injection Molding Systems, Gneuss, Amcor Group and Cirklo. The survey results show that "bottle-to-bottle" recycling has become the largest application field of recycled PET for the first time. In 2024, preforms and plastic bottles accounted for 37% of the total application of recycled PET, which continued to rise from 29% in 2021 and 24% in 2019. In the same year, a total of 13 billion plastic bottles containing recycled PET components were re-launched into the market.

Overseas Macroeconomic Market:

Iranian Ambassador to Russia: Iran Hopes to Receive Russian Natural Gas Soon

Kazem Jalali, Iranian Ambassador to Russia, said that Iran hopes to start receiving natural gas from Russia soon. Jalali stated that Iran is conducting negotiations with Gazprom, and currently only the price issue has not been agreed upon.

Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato: Cryptographic Assets Can Be Part of Diversified Investments

Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said at an event in Tokyo that cryptographic assets can be part of diversified investments. Given the growing number of users of cryptographic assets, efforts will be made to build an appropriate trading environment. Kato said, "Cryptographic assets have the risk of high volatility, but through the establishment of an appropriate investment environment, they can become part of diversified investments." He emphasized that the government has been working to ensure that innovation is not hindered by excessive regulation while seeking a balanced environment.

Price Information:

CNY/USD Central Parity Rate Rises by 160 Pips, Marking Largest Increase in 7 Months

The central parity rate of CNY against USD was reported at 7.1161, an increase of 160 pips; the central parity rate of the previous trading day was 7.1321, the official closing price of the previous trading day was 7.1805, and the night session closing price of the previous day was 7.1666.

Upstream Raw Material US Dollar Market Prices
Ethylene Asia: CFR Northeast Asia USD 830/ton; CFR Southeast Asia USD 820/ton.
Propylene Northeast Asia: FOB South Korea average price USD 750/ton; CFR China average price USD 780/ton.
North Asia frozen cargo CIF price: propane USD 532-533/ton; butane USD 532-533/ton.
South China frozen cargo CIF price for September delivery: propane USD 564-574/ton; butane USD 544-554/ton.
Taiwan region frozen cargo CIF price: propane USD 532-533/ton; butane USD 532-533/ton.

LLDPE US Dollar Market Prices
Film: USD 855-915/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Injection Molding: USD 950/ton (CFR Dongguan).

HDPE US Dollar Market Prices
Film: USD 905-970/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Blow Molding: USD 855/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Injection Molding: USD 870/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Pipes: USD 1025/ton (CFR Huangpu).

LDPE US Dollar Market Prices
Film: USD 1100/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Coating: USD 1280/ton (CFR Huangpu).

PP US Dollar Market Prices
Homopolymer: USD 895-965/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Copolymer: USD 900-965/ton (CFR Nansha);
Film Material: USD 1020/ton (CFR Nansha), a decrease of USD 10/ton; Transparent Material: USD 970-1055/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Pipes: USD 1130/ton (CFR Shanghai).