EU and India Sign "Historic" Trade Pact! Celanese Hikes Polyamide Prices; Volkswagen Ramps Up Circular Economy

International News Highlights

Material News - Celanese Announces Price Hike for Polyamide Products

Automotive News - €900 Million Investment! Volkswagen Boosts Auto Parts and Material Recycling

Packaging News - New Jersey Strengthens Plastic Restrictions: Statewide "Single-Use Item Streamlining" Bill Finalized

Electronics News - Evonik Launches Recycled Plastic-based Transparent Polyamide for Sunglass Production

Medical News - Global Plastic Health Risks Set to Surge Sharply in Coming Years

Other News - Anta Acquires 29% Stake in PUMA for €1.5 Billion, Becoming Largest Shareholder

Macro News - EU Unveils EU-India Trade Agreement

Price Information - RMB/USD Central Parity Rate at 6.9858, Down 15 Pips

International News Details

Celanese Announces Price Hike for Polyamide Products

Celanese, a global leading specialty materials and chemicals company, announced a price increase for a range of polyamide products, driven by rising energy and raw material costs and other factors. Amid the volatile market environment, Celanese will continue to provide stable support to its valued customers by virtue of its regional supply chain layout and manufacturing advantages.

The price increase will take effect on February 1, 2026, or on such other date as may be stipulated in individual contracts. In addition, the price increase for some product grades may be higher than the levels stated hereinafter.

 

€900 Million Investment! Volkswagen Boosts Auto Parts and Material Recycling

Plastmatch learned on January 27 that Volkswagen Group will invest approximately €900 million to develop its Zwickau base in Germany into the group’s core hub for circular economy business, with part of the funding provided by the Saxon state government. The project will include the construction of a new end-of-life vehicle dismantling center, focusing on material recycling and parts reuse.

The plant’s processing capacity will be raised gradually, with a target of dismantling 15,000 vehicles annually by 2030. A pilot phase will start in 2025, processing around 500 prototype and test vehicles. In the initial stage, the project will focus on the formulation, testing and verification of dismantling processes, which will set industry standards for application across Volkswagen’s global production network. Parts tested and deemed reusable will be reintegrated into the group’s value chain, including for used car maintenance and other scenarios.

Evonik Launches Recycled Plastic-based Transparent Polyamide for Sunglass Production

Evonik has launched a transparent polymer made from recycled plastic. Titled TROGAMID® R, the product is processed and manufactured by Poliplastic SRL, an innovative polymer recycling enterprise. The recycler has established a unique circular economy cooperation model with high-end plain sunglass lens manufacturers to collect offcut scraps generated during production.

The initial raw material for TROGAMID® R is the TROGAMID® material offcuts produced in the regular manufacturing of high-end eyewear. TROGAMID® is a highly durable, pure and transparent polyamide material developed by Evonik, belonging to its high-performance material series and widely used in premium eyewear products. In addition to TROGAMID® R, the series also includes the TROGAMID® eCO grade – a product produced using a mass balance approach with bio-based raw materials accounting for up to 100%.

Global Plastic Health Risks Set to Surge Sharply in Coming Years

Citing AFP reports, Plastmatch stated that researchers issued an urgent warning on Tuesday local time: the health risks posed by the production, use and disposal of plastics will surge sharply in the coming years unless immediate global action is taken to address this looming global crisis.

Studies predict that under a business-as-usual scenario, the number of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) caused by plastics will more than double, surging from 2.1 million in 2016 to 4.5 million in 2040. Among the contributing factors, greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production drive global warming, which has the most significant impact on health, followed by air pollution and toxic chemicals.

New Jersey Strengthens Plastic Restrictions: Statewide "Single-Use Item Streamlining" Bill Finalized

New Jersey in the U.S. has fired a new shot in the battle against plastic waste. On the eve of his departure from office, Governor Phil Murphy officially signed Bill S3195 this month – a statewide "Single-Use Item Streamlining" bill, further tightening regulations on single-use plastic products.

The bill will take effect on August 1, 2026, and explicitly prohibits restaurants and food delivery platforms from automatically including single-use tableware, condiments and napkins with takeout orders unless requested by consumers. Consumers must actively apply for such items if needed.

Anta Acquires 29% Stake in PUMA for €1.5 Billion, Becoming Largest Shareholder

On January 27, Anta Group reached a share purchase agreement with Groupe Artémis, the investment company of the Pinault family, to acquire a 29.06% stake in PUMA SE, the parent company of the global sports brand PUMA.

The cash consideration is €1.5 billion, with the full amount of the acquisition funded by Anta Group’s internal cash reserves. Anta Group disclosed that the transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, subject to relevant regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Overseas Macro Market

EU Unveils EU-India Trade Agreement

On January 27, the EU stated that under the EU-India Trade Agreement, EU service suppliers will enjoy privileged access to India in key sectors (finance, maritime services).

Automobile tariffs will be gradually reduced to 10% with an annual quota of 250,000 vehicles. Tariffs of up to 44% on mechanical products, 22% on chemical products and 11% on pharmaceutical products will be largely eliminated. Tariff restrictions on EU aircraft and spacecraft will be lifted, applicable to almost all products. Tariffs on EU optical, medical and surgical instruments will be eliminated for 90% of product categories. Tariffs on EU chemicals will be exempted for almost all products. EU wine tariffs will be cut to 20-30%, EU spirits tariffs to 40%, and EU beer tariffs to 50%.

U.S. Said to Link Security Assurances to Ukraine to Territorial Issues

Citing eight people familiar with the relevant negotiations, the UK’s Financial Times reported on January 27 that the U.S. Trump administration has signaled to Ukraine that U.S. security assurances "will depend on Ukraine first agreeing to a peace deal", which is likely to require Ukraine to make concessions on territorial issues in the Donbas region.

The report also noted that the U.S. government hinted that if Ukraine agrees to withdraw its troops from some areas in the eastern region under its current control, the U.S. may provide more weapons to Ukraine to strengthen its peacetime military build-up. At present, neither the U.S. nor Ukraine has responded to the UK media report.

Trump Piles Pressure on Iran: U.S. Military Deploys Larger Fleet

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on the 26th that the situation in Iran is still "evolving", and he has deployed a larger fleet to the Middle East than the U.S. military presence near Venezuelan waters. He also said that Iran is indeed willing to reach an agreement.

Trump Announces 25% Tariff Hike on Multiple South Korean Products

On January 26 local time, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that the U.S. will raise tariffs on South Korean products because the National Assembly of South Korea has not ratified and implemented the previous trade agreement reached with the U.S.

Trump said that in view of South Korea’s failure to pass the "historic trade agreement", he has decided to raise the tariff rate on South Korean automobiles, wood, pharmaceutical products and other reciprocal tariff items from 15% to 25%.

Price Information

RMB/USD Central Parity Rate at 6.9858, Down 15 Pips

The RMB/USD central parity rate was set at 6.9858, down 15 pips; the central parity rate of the previous trading day was 6.9843, the official closing price of the previous trading day was 6.9572, and the overnight closing price was 6.9540.

Upstream Raw Material USD Market Prices

CFR Northeast Asia stands at $700/ton, and CFR Southeast Asia at $685/ton. Northeast Asia propylene averages $770/ton FOB Korea and $825/ton CFR China. North Asia refrigerated cargo CIF prices: propane $583-$586/ton, butane $603-$606/ton. China South China refrigerated cargo CIF prices for early February arrival: propane $613-$623/ton, butane $608-$618/ton. Taiwan refrigerated cargo CIF prices: propane $583-$586/ton, butane $603-$606/ton.

LLDPE USD Market Prices

Film: $815/ton (CFR Xiamen); Injection molding: $910/ton (CFR Xiamen).

HDPE USD Market Prices

Film: $900/ton (CFR Huangpu); Injection molding: $800/ton (CFR Huangpu); Blow molding: $795-$850/ton (CFR Huangpu); Pipe: $1000/ton (CFR Huangpu).

LDPE USD Market Prices

Film: $1015/ton (CFR Huangpu); Coating: $1240/ton (CFR Huangpu).

PP USD Market Prices

Injection molding: $810/ton (CFR Dongguan); Copolymer: $870/ton (CFR Nansha); Film material: $960/ton (CFR Huangpu); Transparent grade: $1100/ton (CFR Huangpu); Pipe: $1120/ton (CFR Shanghai).