• Industry News

      Autos and Light Trucks Sales Jumped in March – Transportation End-Market Outlook in 2021 is Bright

      April 8, 2021 Auto and light truck sales rose a solid 12.6% in March from February. It was a 56.2% jump from March last year. Of the 17.75 million units of light vehicles sold in March, 78.2% were light trucks and 21.8% were autos. The last time the U.S. saw auto and light trucks sales at this level was in May 2004 – light vehicle sales were 17.76 million units.

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      Resin Prices to Stabilize, Plastics Industry Outlook Positive in 2021

      April 1, 2021 Despite the complications presented by adverse weather and COVID-19, the fundamental market dynamics for plastics remains strong. The plastics industry’s outlook for 2021 is positive. As the resin demand and supply gap closes, upward price pressure should eventually dissipate.

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      U.S. Plastics Trade Shows Unusual Deficit in 2020

      March 16, 2021 After many years of an annual trade surplus, U.S. plastics trade experienced a deficit in 2020, as the global economy slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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      China’s Import Ban of Recyclable Plastic Materials Generated Trade Surplus

      February 1, 2021 In January 2018, China banned the import of recyclable plastics and other materials, which defined in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) are broadly classified as waste, parings and scrap of plastics. In 2018, China's imports of recyclable plastics (HTS 391510, 391520, 391530, and 391590) decreased to 51,605 tons from 5.8 million tons in 2017. A year after the ban, China's imports decreased further to 924 tons—a 98.2% decline.

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      US-UK Free Trade Deal Will Benefit Plastics Trade

      January 26, 2021 While a free trade agreement between the US and the UK will benefit both countries, how important is the UK as a US plastics trade partner?

    • Industry News

      The U.S. Plastics Industry in 2020 in Seven Charts

      December 23, 2020 As we count down to the close of the year, the U.S. plastics industry's performance in 2020 can be summarized in seven charts. While these charts are not all-inclusive, they provide an overview of the industry's performance this year against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

    • Industry News

      Plastics Industry CapEx Increased in Recent Years. Will it Continue?

      November 17, 2020 Business investment spending on nonresidential structures, such as factories or warehouses, equipment, and intellectual property, are referred to as capital expenditures or CapEx. Businesses spend to acquire, improve, or maintain such long-term assets to sustain and enhance efficiency or capacity. The rise and fall of business investment go hand in hand with the businesses' confidence in economic growth. CapEx in the U.S. nonfinancial sector moves with shifts in manufacturing confidence.
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      Industry News

      Automotive: Plastics End-Market Recovery Takes Shape

      October 16, 2020 Consumer engagement improved at the close of the second quarter even though the economy was not at full employment. Retail sales in June, July, and August were higher than pre-COVID-19 levels. Auto and light truck sales also started to increase from the April lows. The same pattern of improvement emerged in automotive production and assemblies.
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      Industry News

      Plastics Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization Improved in August

      September 23, 2020 Following the decline in plastics products manufacturing in April, the latest data from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the U.S. shows continuing improvements over the past four months. Although the industrial production index on plastics products is still running below the pre-COVID-19 level, the path reversed from April's low.