Reductions in North American prices for PET bottle resin and all grades of recycled polyethylene are being shown on this week's Plastics News resin pricing chart.
Prices for nylon 6 and 6/6 also are being corrected to show recent price reductions, as well as a non-market price reduction to previous prices shown by PN.
Regional prices for PET bottle resin tumbled an average of 11 cents per pound in the final two months of 2014, as demand for the material dried up and feedstock prices fell as well. Prices for the material already had fallen a total of 5 cents per pound in September and October, creating a total price decline of 16 cents per pound for the final four months of the year.
In total, regional PET bottle resin prices fell by a net of 14 cents per pound for 2014. Demand for the material has been hurt by lower consumption of carbonated soft drinks and by lightweighting of bottles for water and other beverages, leading to less resin being used per bottle.
A 20-cent price reduction is being shown on all grades of recycled PE in the North American market. Demand for that material has declined with recent price erosion for virgin grades of PE. Standard PE prices have been in decline since November, as the collapse in global crude oil prices has impacted feedstocks used to make PE.
Nylon 6 prices are being corrected downward by an average of 30 cents per pound. About 10 cents of that amount reflects feedstock-related price decreases that have hit the market since mid-2014. Nylon 6/6 prices are being corrected downward by 10 cents per pound, with about 5 cents of that amount coming from recent decreases.