Plastics News - May 20, 2019 - 30

30 * Plastics News, May 20, 2019

Engineering thermoplastics

Historical resin pricing

Recycled plastics

HDPE, blow molding copolymer

Key: I - Annual volumes greater than 1 million pounds
II - Annual volumes of about 300,000 to 500,000 pounds

Resin/Grade

ABS
Mixed colors, industrial

45-49

75-79

POLYCARBONATE
Clear, industrial

86-96

Mixed colors, industrial

83-87

91-97

Volume category
I

ACETAL
Homopolymer
20 percent glass

137-144
-

148-154
179-194

Copolymer
20 percent glass

115-125
-

130-139
160-175

Clean regrind
or flake

POLYETHYLENE
HDPE:
Natural, post-consumer
Mixed colors, post-consumer
Mixed colors, industrial

Pellets

74-78
44-51
45-49

HMW HDPE film,
post-consumer

38-42

LLDPE stretch film

29-43

-
17-21

35-39
37-41

145-155

158-162

185-193

197-208

POLYESTER
PBT, injection
30 percent glass, FR

119-124
154-159

129-134
164-174

PET, injection
30 percent glass, FR

118-123
155-165

128-138
165-175

LDPE film:
Clear, post-consumer
Colored, post-consumer

POLYCARBONATE
Blow molding

183-193

214-224

PET BOTTLES
Clear, post-consumer

44-56

68-76

Injection, general-purpose
20 percent glass
Structural foam
Flame-retardant

167-176
183-193
165-174
198-215

171-196
214-230
201-218
226-236

Green, post-consumer

28-36

33-41

Extrusion, sheet

166-175

178-206

Optical media

149-158

159-178
213-222
252-270

Ether type

252-265

297-306

TPE
Polyester

325-400

Olefinic (compounded)

80-115

120-135

Styrenic

160-190

220-270

Climate
Continued from Page 1
claiming plastic products compare favorably against those
made with other materials.
"A recent life cycle study of
plastic packaging found that
replacing plastics with alternatives would nearly double
greenhouse gas emissions,"
Steve Russell, vice president of
the ACC plastic division, said
in a statement.
"Although plastic production does generate low levels
of greenhouse gas emissions,
plastics are often used in products that help to reduce much
larger amounts of greenhouse
gas emissions over their life
cycle," he said.
The CIEL report suggests
some far-reaching changes, including ending production of
single-use, disposable plastic
products, stopping development of new oil, gas and petrochemical infrastructure and
transitioning to "zero-waste
communities."
The report also calls for implementing extended producer responsibility "as a critical
component of circular economies."
The report claims that annual greenhouse gas emissions
for the entire plastics life cycle, including production and
incineration, will be equivalent
of 189 coal-fired power plants
this year.

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'19

Recycled PS, industrial pellets
Small volume average, in cents.

POLYPROPYLENE
Industrial

31-35

45-49

POLYSTYRENE
Industrial

19-24

54-70

High-heat, crystal,
post-consumer

34-40

51-57

PVC
Clear, industrial

22-28

125

100

For pricing information on recycled resins,
call Frank Esposito at 330-703-7290.
For pricing information on virgin thermoplastic
or thermoset resins, call Frank Esposito at 330-703-7290.

100

51-55
36-40
33-38

Type 6/6

189-206
216-238

125

NYLON
Type 6

POLYURETHANE
Ester type, injection
Extrusion

Large volume average, in cents.

That number will increase to
295 in 2030 and 615 in 2050 as
the industry grows.
The emergence of hydraulic fracturing of shale - or
fracking - has unlocked vast
amounts of natural gas and oil
that previously was thought to
be unreachable in the United
States.
While that has led to lower
gasoline prices for drivers, the
report authors said the advent
of less expensive natural gas is
also creating a plastics boom.
"Unfortunately, the CIEL
report focuses largely on the
anticipated growth of plastic
production but fails to note
that production is growing in
response to increasing global
demand for lightweight automotive parts, building insulation and product packaging
- all of which will play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions," Russell
said.
Courtney Bernhardt is director of research at the Environmental Integrity Project,
another group involved in the
study.
"Our world is drowning in
plastic, and the plastics industry has been overlooked as a
major source of greenhouse
gases. But there are ways to
solve this problem. We need
to end the production of single-use, disposable plastic containers and encourage a transition to a zero-waste future,"
she said in a statement.

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Source: Plastics News research

Waste
Continued from Page 1
by 2025. The group also wants
companies to ensure one single-use plastic item is collected
and recycled for each one sold.
Companies also need to "provide employment with dignity" to
waste pickers.
The report is available at www.
tearfund.org/notimetowaste.
While the American Chemistry
Council agrees that mismanaged
waste is a huge problem, the
trade group calls Tearfund's work
misleading.
"We share the goals and commitment of the study's authors.
However we question the report's
methods and believe the characterization of the report's findings
is misleading," said Steve Russell,
vice president of the ACC plastics
division, in a statement.
"The report itself attributes
health impacts to all types of municipal waste - organic, paper,
cardboard, metals, glass and plastics. Organic waste, in particular, is
more likely to contribute to various
health effects cited in the report
and studies show that it makes up a
large portion of unmanaged waste,"
Russell continued.
ACC points to a World Bank
study that indicates 40 percent of
the waste in Indonesia's rivers is
organic, including food. The mix
also includes health and hygiene
products. A separate study from
the same organization, the trade
group said, indicates 6.4 percent

A mother and child walk near burning rubbish in Mozambique.
Ralph Hodgson, Tearfund photo

of waste in low-income countries
is plastics.
"Unmanaged waste is an urgent
problem," ACC's Russell said.
He pointed to the recently announced Alliance to End Plastic
Waste as one way the industry is
responding. The Alliance, made
up of member companies, is
pledging $1.5 billion to find ways
to keep plastic waste from entering the environment.
"There is no question that
dumping of waste in streams
and rivers, on roadsides or open
spaces, and open pit burning of
waste is neither healthy nor sustainable," Russell said in his statement.
The Tearfund report was created in association with Fauna
& Flora International, a conservation charity; the Institute of

Development Studies, which describes itself as a global research
and learning organization; and
WasteAid, a waste management
charity.
"Large companies place vast
amounts of single-use plastic
into communities that don't have
waste management, with significant and growing planetary
health impacts. As this report
shows, we cannot recycle our
way out of plastic pollution - we
need systemic change," said Zoë
Lenkiewicz, head of programs
and engagement for WasteAid, in
a statement.
Tearfund, in releasing the report, specifically called out four
multinational companies - Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever - for contributing to plastic
pollution.

http://www.tearfund.org/notimetowaste http://www.tearfund.org/notimetowaste

Plastics News - May 20, 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Plastics News - May 20, 2019