The U.S. Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) market experienced declining demand towards the end of November 2025, and the broader global economy remained in a bearish cycle because of weak long-term auto demand combined with excess supply. The automotive industry is by far the largest consumer of NBR products, including auto components, seals, and hoses. NBR had difficulty gaining traction in the U.S. marketplace because of declining new vehicle sales, slow adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and increasing working inventories across the supply chain. Mixed trends in imports from Asia were seen during this time; however, markets in Europe and Asia showed signs of weakness like that of the U.S. due to continued strong production levels and lower-cost feedstock from the supplier channel. Planned cracker rationalization efforts in Korea and recent consolidation between HD Hyundai and Lotte Chemical may help to create upward pressure on the supply chain by tightening up the availability of upstream feedstock. In the short term, NBR pricing will likely be under pressure, although consumer spending during the holiday shopping season and restocking to occur in early 2026 may temporarily boost pricing.
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.
