Europe’s Chemicals Sector Suffers Another Setback! U.S. EVA exports plummet 14%; Clariant catalysts power e-fuel plant

International News Digest:

Raw Material News: Europe’s Chemicals Sector Suffers Another Setback
Automotive News: BYD's "Shenzhen" Departs for Europe, Carrying Over 6,800 New Energy Vehicles
Additives News: Clariant ShiftMax™ 100 RE Reverse Water-Gas Shift Catalyst Empowers INERATEC's Pioneering E-Fuel Plant
Aerospace News: Arkema and Hexcel Achieve Breakthrough in Aerospace Thermoplastic Composite Technology
Macro News: ING: India Could Be the Next Country to Reach a Trade Deal With the US
Price Information: Central Parity Rate of RMB Against USD Reported at 7.1541, Down 7 Pips

The following are details of international news:

1.Europe’s Chemicals Sector Suffers Another Setback

Vynova Announced Today That It Will Cease PVC Production at Its Site in Beek, Netherlands, by November 2025. It’s the Second Shutdown of Europe-Based Chemicals Production Plants Announced in as Many Days: Dow Said Yesterday It Will Close Two Plants in Germany and One in the UK. Challenging Market Dynamics Are Cited as the Reason for These Closures.

2. US EVA Exports Plummeted by 14%!

According to the Data of the United States International Trade Commission, the Export Volume of EVA in the US Fell by 14% to 46,000 Tons in the First Quarter of 2025, the Import Volume Fell by 17%, and the Price Fell by 5.6% (the Spot Price of Medium-Grade EVA in Houston Port Fell to USD 1175/ton). Traders Bluntly Said, 'No Goods to Asia', the Focus of Exports Was Forced to Turn to Latin America, Africa and Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA) Markets.

3. Clariant ShiftMax™ 100 RE Reverse Water-Gas Shift Catalyst Empowers INERATEC's Pioneering E-Fuel Plant

Clariant Announced Today That Its ShiftMax 100 RE Catalyst Powers INERATEC's Advanced Power-to-Liquids Fuel Plant "ERA ONE" Located in the Frankfurt-Höchst Industrial Park in Germany. The Facility Was Officially Put Into Operation on June 3, With an Annual Carbon Dioxide Processing Capacity of Approximately 8,000 Tons, Which Can Be Converted to Produce Up to 2,500 Tons of Synthetic Fuels and Wax Products. This Production Scale Makes It One of the World's Largest Operating "Power-to-Liquids" Projects and Establishes the Key Position of the Two Companies in the Field of Sustainable Fuel Technology Innovation.

4.Avantium Signs Bio-Based FDCA Offtake Agreement With PLIXXENT for Use in Insulating Polyurethane Foam Production

Avantium, a Leading Renewable and Circular Polymer Materials Company, and PLIXXENT, a Leading Polyurethane Systems Company, Have Signed a Conditional Five-Year Offtake Agreement. Under the Agreement, PLIXXENT Will Purchase FDCA (2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid) Produced by Avantium's Flagship Plant for the Production of Insulating Polyurethane Foam. PLIXXENT's Evaluation Confirmed That FDCA Performs Excellently in Polyester Polyols and Their Derived Insulating Polyurethane Foams. Compared With Traditional Petrochemical-Based Polyurethane Foams, FDCA-Based Polyurethane Foams Have Significant Environmental Advantages, Meeting the Growing Market Demand for Environmentally Friendly Building Materials. In Addition, They Exhibit Excellent Performance in Key Thermal Insulation Indicators Such as Thermal Conductivity and Flame Retardancy, While Also Providing Excellent Mechanical Strength and Dimensional Stability to Ensure the Long-Term Integrity and Effectiveness of the Foam Structure.

5. Joint Technical Paper to Help Companies With New REACH Labelling Requirement

A Group of European Plastics Trade Bodies Have Published Guidance for Businesses in the Run-Up to a New Labelling Regime, Due to Come Into Effect in October This Year, Spelling Out How to Reveal the Level of Microplastics in Certain Products. The Organisations Said the Document Is Designed to Support Polymer Producers, Compounders, Masterbatchers, and Converters as They Prepare for New Labelling Obligations, Which Are to Come Into Effect on 17 October 2025.

6. Arkema and Hexcel Achieve Breakthrough in Aerospace Thermoplastic Composite Technology

Recently, Hexcel Showcased New Carbon Fiber-Reinforced PEKK Composite Components Developed in Collaboration With Arkema, Revealing the Breakthrough Progress of Both Parties in the Field of Thermoplastic Composites. The Helues Project, Funded by the German Aerospace Center and Supported by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Brings Together Partners Such as Airbus Helicopters Germany GmbH, Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH, Christian Karl Siebenwurst GmbH & Co. KG, and Incoe Corporation. It Has Pioneered a New Manufacturing Process for High-Temperature Thermoplastic Composites Worldwide, With the Core Technology Being One-Step Molding and Injection Overmolding. The Technology Uses HexPly® Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Kepstan® PEKK Unidirectional Tapes and Kepstan™ PEKK Injection Compounds as Raw Materials, Enabling the Production of a Complex Structural Part With Reinforcing Ribs and Functional Components in as Little as 2 Minutes.

7. BYD's "Shenzhen" Departs for Europe, Carrying Over 6,800 New Energy Vehicles

Caixin News Agency Reported on July 9 That the World's Second-Largest Car Carrier — BYD's "Shenzhen" Ro-Ro Ship, Loaded With Over 6,800 BYD New Energy Vehicles, Departed From Shenzhen Xiaomo International Logistics Port for Europe, Scheduled to Call at the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium.

Overseas macro market information:

ING: India Could Be the Next Country to Reach a Trade Deal With the US

Deepali Bhargava, Head of Asia-Pacific Research at ING, Said That India Will Be the Next Country to Reach a Trade Deal With the US. Trump Recently Stated That the US Is Almost Reaching a Deal With India. Bhargava Said That India Is One of the First Countries to Start Trade Negotiations With the US. India Has Recently Offered Tariff Concessions in Politically and Economically Sensitive Industries Including Agriculture and Dairy Products. If India Makes Some Concessions on Agricultural Product Imports, the Two Countries May Reach an Agreement Soon.

IDC: Global PC Shipments Grew 6.5% Year-on-Year in Q2

According to the Latest Preliminary Results of the Global Personal Computing Device Quarterly Tracking Data From the International Data Corporation (IDC), Global PC Shipments Grew 6.5% Year-on-Year in the Second Quarter of 2025, Reaching 68.4 Million Units. Import Tariff Policies Have Begun to Show Effects, and While Demand Remains Strong in Other Regions, Growth in the US PC Market Has Slowed.

EU Negotiators Are Close to Reaching a Trade Deal With Trump

According to the Financial Times, EU Negotiators Are Close to Reaching a Trade Deal With Trump, Which Will Confirm That the EU Faces Higher Tariffs Than the UK.

US to Impose 25% Tariffs on Japan, Ishiba Shigeru Makes Tough Statement: Never Compromise

Regarding the US Plan to Impose 25% Tariffs on Japan, Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru Said That Japan Will Unite Domestically to Safeguard National Interests and Will Not Compromise on Issues That Cannot Be Compromised, and Will Never Sacrifice Japan's Agriculture.

Price information:

Central Parity Rate of RMB Against USD:

The Central Parity Rate of RMB Against USD Was Reported at 7.1541, Down 7 Pips; the Central Parity Rate of the Previous Trading Day Was 7.1534, the Official Closing Price of the Previous Trading Day Was 7.1732, and the Night Session Closing Price Was 7.1780.

Raw Material USD Market Prices:

Ethylene Asia: CFR Northeast Asia $820/ton; CFR Southeast Asia $830/ton.
Propylene Northeast Asia: FOB Korea Average $740/ton; CFR China Average $785/ton.
North Asia Frozen Cargo CIF, Propane $534-536/ton; Butane $504-506/ton.
South China Frozen Cargo CIF for Early August, Propane $563-570/ton; Butane $533-540/ton.
Taiwan Region Frozen Cargo CIF, Propane $534-536/ton; Butane $504-506/ton.

LLDPE USD Market Prices:

Film: $875-910/ton (CFR Huangpu), Down $20/ton;
Injection Molding: $950/ton (CFR Dongguan).

HDPE USD Market Prices:

Film: $920/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Blow Molding: $855-860/ton (CFR Huangpu).
LDPE USD Market Prices:
Film: $1,080-1,110/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Coating: $1,350/ton (CFR Huangpu).

PP USD Market Prices:

Homopolymer: $935-980/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Copolymer: $965-995/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Film Grade: $1,000/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Transparent Grade: $1,085/ton (CFR Huangpu);
Pipe Grade: $1,160/ton (CFR Shanghai).