Vinyl Ester Resin (VER) prices in China recorded a sharp 10.68% weekly advance during the week ending March 20, 2026 — one of the most significant single-week price movements in the domestic market in recent months. The advance was driven by surging epoxy resin and styrene monomer feedstock costs, inflated by the ongoing Middle East conflict's disruption of crude oil and petrochemical supply chains following the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Constrained domestic VER supply, elevated import logistics costs, and an accelerating post-Chinese New Year restocking wave from chemical processing, marine, and infrastructure composite sectors collectively sustained the extraordinary weekly advance. VER prices are anticipated to remain elevated through Q2 2026 pending conflict resolution.
Selenis has effectively manufactured recycled PET chips using terephthalic acid sourced from Circ®, a textile-to-textile recycler based in Virginia. The chip production took place through a series of batches at Selenis' pilot plant in San-Giorgio, Italy. By utilizing inputs recovered from polycotton textile waste, Selenis has created high-quality PET chip, which has been further processed into DTY yarn. This yarn will play a crucial role in product development as Circ prepares for additional capsule launches. Selenis is leveraging the success of this initial collaboration phase and is committed to advancing towards an offtake partnership to support Circ's inaugural industrial facility.
Eduardo Santos, Head of Corporate Strategy at Selenis, remarked that the monomer synthesis showed a performance comparable to virgin terephthalic acid. He expressed optimism about the consistent quality of Circ's monomer output and anticipated future commercial success. Santos pointed out that the Circ partnership complements Selenis's existing mission and goals for a more sustainable textile industry. He further stated their anticipation of expanding upon this collaboration and providing support for Circ's forthcoming commercial production trials.
