Between November and December of 2025, US isophthalic acid prices rose slightly due to some tightening of inventories because of year-end inventory depletion. For the majority of 2025, there was downward pressure on prices from sufficient domestic production and large volumes of imports that assured the continued availability of product and alleviation of supply issues in the marketplace. Imports continued to play an important part in the US marketplace as India, South Korea, Canada, and Spain were major sources of competitive products, although due to the continuing volatility of freight rates, these countries have provided both some of the lowest priced as well as the highest priced material. Since the automotive and construction industries are the primary downstream markets for isophthalic acid, their mixed trends reflected fluctuations in demand for isophthalic acid. Additionally, economic headwinds, declines in plastic consumption, and significant destocking activity at the end of the year were all factors restraining the amount of buying activity in a relatively subdued, balanced marketplace.
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.
