US BOPET film prices moved higher in March as geopolitical disruption and rising logistics costs outweighed inventory relief. Early March saw spot levels unchanged, while caution among buyers kept activity modest. By late March, shipping rerouting and insurance surcharges, along with tighter upstream markets, pushed offers higher and shifted sentiment from rangebound to firmer ahead of the pre-summer restocking window for FMCG packaging. Demand remained concentrated in the packaging sector, with applications across flexible packaging, labelling, industrial films, food packaging, beverage labelling and consumer packaging. Domestic converters ran at steady rates, with roughly equal shares of domestic production and imports, leaving buyers to balance routine requirements with cautious procurement. Upstream cost pressure remained a dominant factor, as PTA/PET feedstock costs rose on higher crude, naphtha and paraxylene, compressing margins and lifting landed costs via freight and insurance surcharges. Forecasts point to continued upward pressure through spring, driven by supply disruptions, longer shipping routes, and pre-summer restocking, with a demand stance.
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.
