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Brazil 1Q PE imports hint at shifting trade patterns
Brazil 1Q PE imports hint at shifting trade patterns
Sao Paulo, 25 April (Argus) — Brazilian polyethylene (PE) imports totaled 459,173t in the first quarter of 2025, down 20.3pc when compared with the 515,063t imported during the same period in 2024. The five major PE exporters to Brazil during the first quarter of 2025 were the US, Argentina, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Leading the pack, the US shipped 310,861t, a 9pc year-on-year decrease. The decline is expected to continue in the second quarter as Brazilian buyers are avoiding any risk coming from the uncertainties caused by US president Donald Trump's tariffs. Argentina followed with 65,025t, a 9pc increase compared with a year earlier, showing that buyers are increasingly looking for different sources for the resin. One source in Argentina confirmed to Argus that the local PE producer is running at higher rates and exporting to Brazil all of the excess that could not be absorbed internally in Argentina. Canada, with shipments of 19,379t, down by 40pc, and Saudi Arabia with 10,541t, a volume 47pc lower than the first quarter of 2024, also lost market share. Imports from Egypt grew significantly to 8,993t in the first quarter, up from 342t in the same period in 2024. Egyptian PE does not pay 20pc import taxes when entering Brazil. Egypt's percentage growth in the Brazilian PE market was followed by Mexico, with a 664pc increase in shipments, possibly intra-company exports from Brazil's resin manufacturer Braskem's subsidiary in Mexico, and by the Netherlands, with shipments up by 278pc year-on-year at 4,046t. The trade shifts in the first quarter could show the start of a change in trade dynamics in the Brazilian PE market following disruptions caused by Trump's tariff policies announced on 2 April. By Fred Fernandes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Water levels delay Tennessee River lock reopening
Water levels delay Tennessee River lock reopening
Houston, 24 April (Argus) — The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) will delay the reopening of the Tennessee River's Wilson Lock by three weeks after high floodwater disrupted repair plans. The Wilson Lock is now planned to reopen in mid-June or July, the Corps said this week. The lock's main chamber has been closed since September after severe cracks were found in the structure. The Corps initiated evacuation procedures so personnel and equipment could be removed before any water entered the dewatered lock and ruined repairs after high water appeared too close to the lock's edge. The water did not crest above the temporary barrier the Corps installed to keep water out. Delays at the lock averaged around 10 days as of 24 April, according to the Corps. Barge carriers fees have been in place for each barge that must pass through the auxiliary chamber of the lock since 25 September, when the lock first closed. Restricted barge movement placed upward pressure on fertilizer prices in surrounding areas as well. The lock still requires structural repairs to the main chamber gates, including the replacement of the pintle components, the Corps said. This is the fourth opening delay the Corps have issued for the Wilson Lock, with the prior opening dates being in November , then April and then in June . The Wilson Lock will enter its eighth month of repairs next month. By Meghan Yoyotte and Sneha Kumar Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Washington passes producer responsibility law
Washington passes producer responsibility law
Houston, 24 April (Argus) — The US state of Washington has passed a producer responsibility bill for plastic packaging, which is intended to pass on end-of-life plastics costs to producers. The bill will now go to Governor Bob Ferguson (D) to be signed into law. The law aims to collect fees from producers of single-use goods through a non-profit producer responsibility organization (PRO) in order to fund municipal recycling and to increase investment in recycling infrastructure across the state. Under the law, producers must register with Washington's PRO by 1 July 2026, with full implementation of the law and fee collection set to begin in January 2030. Washington's law will require its PRO to cover at least 50pc of the state's net recycling costs by 2030, and 90pc by 2032. If the bill is signed into law, Washington will become the seventh state to pass a producer responsibility law for plastic packaging in the US. Less than a month ago on 7 April, Maryland passed a producer responsibility law. Oregon's producer responsibility law for plastics packaging will be the first to be fully operational in the US in July. By Zach Kluver Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Dow delays Path2Zero ethylene project in Canada
Dow delays Path2Zero ethylene project in Canada
Houston, 24 April (Argus) — Dow is delaying construction in Canada of its Path2Zero project, designed to produce 1.9mn metric tonne (t)/yr of low-carbon ethylene, until "market conditions improve", the company said today. The company decided to delay work at its Path2Zero project site in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, in light of uncertainty around US tariffs and potential retaliatory tariffs by US trading partners, especially their impact on product demand, the company said Thursday on its first-quarter earnings call. Path2Zero, designed to produce ethylene and derivatives with net-zero carbon emissions, was announced in October 2021 and was originally planned for a first-phase start-up in 2027 and a second phase in 2029. The first phase was meant to coincide with an expected upturn in the business cycle. But tariffs have increased uncertainty to the point that Dow said it cannot be sure of a recovery in two years. Chief executive Jim Fitterling described the current market environment as "one of the most protracted down-cycles in decades", compounded by geopolitical and macroeconomic concerns that further weigh on demand. The Path2Zero project delay will save $600mn in 2025, accounting for 60pc of the company's plan to cut capital spending this year by $1bn from the company's original $3.5bn spending plan. The pause comes before a ramp up in construction labor and allows the company to see how tariffs effect global demand and supply chains. "We are at a point right now where we can make this decision to have minimal impact on the project," Fitterling said. "We've done a lot of groundwork, we're finishing our engineering work, and we've got our long lead time items ordered." Despite the delay, Dow remains committed to the project in the long-term. The project will one day capture upside in demand for targeted applications like pressure pipe, wiring cable and food packaging, the company said. When complete, the project is expected to generate approximately $1bn/yr in incremental earnings. Even with the delay, it is still likely to be the world's first integrated ethylene complex to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions. To restart the project, Dow said it would have to start seeing supply and demand balances tighten. The company said it would next revisit restarting the project at the end of 2025. Without a green light by year's end, Dow said it would review a project restart "on a regular basis". The project would triple the site's ethylene and polyethylene (PE) capacity. In total, the site would produce approximately 3.2mn t/yr of low-to-zero emissions PE and other ethylene derivatives. The first phase startup in 2027 was to have brought on 1.3mn t/yr of ethane-derived ethylene and PE, and the second phase in 2029 was to bring on an additional 600,000 t/yr of ethylene and PE. The site will also convert cracker off-gas into hydrogen to be reused as a clean fuel in the production process. The project is designed to capture CO2 emissions for storage by adjacent third-party infrastructure. By Michael Camarda Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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