Trinseo's U.S. Plants Earn OCS Blue Certification! Sun Chemical Expands Perylene Pigment Capacity in Germany

International News Guide

Raw Material News - Trinseo's U.S. Plants Earn OCS Blue Certification

Recycling News - Coveris Receives Dual RecyClass Certifications to Strengthen Plastic Recycling Traceability

Packaging News - A Decade of R&D! High-Barrier Bio-Based Films Made from Plant/Mushroom Extracts

Pigment News - Sun Chemical Expands Perylene Pigment Capacity in Germany

Macroeconomic News - EU: To Advance Tariffs on Duty-Free "Small Parcels" Valued Below €150

Price Information - CNY/USD Central Parity Rate Stands at 7.0825


Details of International News

1.A Decade of R&D! High-Barrier Bio-Based Films Made from Plant/Mushroom Extracts

A key challenge in finding viable, sustainable flexible packaging alternatives to traditional plastics—made from renewable materials—lies in performance barriers.

For widespread application, researchers must design films that effectively block moisture and oxygen. Both barrier properties are crucial for protecting food, pharmaceuticals, and precision electronic products.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a bio-based film using natural ingredients from plants, mushrooms, and food waste, with moisture and oxygen barrier effects comparable to traditional plastics. The research results were recently published in the journal ACS Applied Polymer Materials.

2.Sun Chemical Expands Perylene Pigment Capacity in Germany

Sun Chemical, a subsidiary of the DIC Group, announced plans to expand perylene pigment production capacity at its Ludwigshafen, Germany plant.

The expansion will add up to 200 metric tons of finished product and intermediate output annually. Alex Baron, Vice President and Global Commercial Director of Sun Chemical, emphasized the importance of perylene pigments in the company's product portfolio.

"Perylene pigments are core to our product range and a key area for continuous innovation," he further noted. This investment will enhance the company's ability to provide diverse, high-performance color solutions and support the development of new products.

3.Coveris' UK Plant Receives Dual RecyClass Certifications to Strengthen Plastic Recycling Traceability

Packaging manufacturer Coveris announced that its Winsford, UK plant has obtained two Level 2 certifications from RecyClass—Recycling Process Certificate and Recycled Plastics Traceability Certificate.

The Recycling Process Certificate confirms the plant's ability to reliably convert industrial and post-consumer plastic waste into recycled materials, establishing the starting point of the recycling chain. The accompanying Traceability Certificate verifies the full tracking and documentation accuracy of recycled materials from production to finished products.

Both certifications comply with EN 15343 and ISO 22095 standards, covering all participants in the recycled material processing chain, including mixing, processing, manufacturing, and trading links. The Traceability Certificate requires that recycled raw materials must be verified through RecyClass' Recycling Process Certificate or equivalent schemes.

4.ECHA to Launch Consultation on SEAC's Draft Opinion on EU-Wide PFAS Restrictions

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) plans to launch a consultation on the draft opinion of its Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) regarding proposed EU-wide restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) following a committee meeting in March 2026.

SEAC's draft opinion on the PFAS restriction proposal will cover an assessment of socio-economic aspects, including the availability of alternative substances and technologies. SEAC intends to reach agreement on its draft opinion at a meeting tentatively scheduled for the first half of March 2026.

The consultation will begin shortly after this meeting and last for 60 days, during which stakeholders can provide feedback.

5.Trinseo's U.S. Plants Earn OCS Blue Certification

According to Plastmatch on November 14, Trinseo's U.S. plants located in Midland, Michigan, and Louisville, Kentucky, have successfully obtained the Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS) Blue Certification.

This achievement marks an important milestone in the company's commitment to environmental management and operational excellence. Since the launch of the OCS Blue Certification in 2023, these two plants are the first facilities of Trinseo in the U.S. to receive this honor, demonstrating the company's industry-leading position in promoting plastic resin loss prevention and control.

Overseas Macroeconomic Market

【EU: To Advance Tariffs on Duty-Free "Small Parcels" Valued Below €150】

On November 13 local time, the Council of the European Union announced measures for duty-free small parcels entering the EU.

Citing the urgency of the situation, the Council pledged to work towards imposing tariffs on such goods as soon as possible in 2026, until the EU Customs Data Hub becomes operational in 2028. The development of this solution will continue in the coming weeks.

As a long-term measure, EU finance ministers agreed to abolish the rule allowing goods valued below €150 to enter the EU duty-free. After this change, all goods entering the EU will be subject to the corresponding tariffs.

【Trump Courts Wall Street Figures; JPMorgan, Blackstone Executives Reportedly Attend White House Dinner】

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Wall Street leaders to a dinner at the White House on Wednesday.

According to people familiar with the matter, the financial giants in attendance included JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Blackstone's Steve Schwarzman. Treasury Secretary Bezos (a former hedge fund executive) and Commerce Secretary Lutnick (who managed Cantor Fitzgerald LP for decades) were also present.

During the dinner, corporate leaders and government officials discussed ways to address U.S. affordability issues, particularly in mortgages, the sources said. (Bloomberg)

【Expert: China's 2% Inflation Target Should Be Viewed from a Medium-to-Long-Term Perspective】

In October, China's Consumer Price Index (CPI) turned from decline to increase—rising 0.2% year-on-year and 0.2% month-on-month.

Industry experts stated that recent price trends have shown signs of stabilization. From an international perspective, the effects of monetary policy usually have a certain time lag, and China's inflation target of around 2% should be viewed rationally from a medium-to-long-term perspective.

Supportive monetary policy has created a favorable monetary and financial environment for promoting a reasonable recovery in prices. However, it should also be noted that while there is still some room for monetary policy, its marginal efficiency has significantly declined.

【Fed's Kashkari Says He Opposed Last Rate Cut; Hasn't Decided on December Meeting】

Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari stated that he opposed the Federal Reserve's last interest rate cut but has not yet decided on the course of action for the December policy meeting.

"Signs from market feedback and data suggest that the underlying resilience of economic activity is stronger than I expected," Kashkari said, indicating that the Fed should have paused rate cuts at its October meeting.

Kashkari noted that data released since then shows the economic situation has "remained largely unchanged." Regarding the upcoming interest rate decision on December 9-10, he said: "I can make a case for cutting rates based on the data, or I can make a case for keeping them steady—we'll see." Kashkari is not a voting member of the rate-setting committee this year but participates in Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) deliberations.

【Report: EU Considers Pooling Dollar Reserves of Non-U.S. Countries to Reduce Dependence on Fed】

According to informed officials, European financial stability officials are discussing a plan to establish an alternative to the Federal Reserve's liquidity support mechanism by pooling dollar reserves held by central banks outside the United States.

The move aims to reduce dependence on the United States during the Trump administration. The consultations are currently at the working group level and have not yet reached the European Central Bank's decision-making level, involving multiple central banks inside and outside the euro area. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said that Trump has "repeatedly reaffirmed his commitment to safeguarding the strength and influence of the U.S. dollar."

Price Information

The CNY/USD central parity rate was reported at 7.0825, an increase of 40 pips; the central parity rate of the previous trading day was 7.0865, the official closing price of the previous trading day was 7.0959, and the night session closing price of the previous day was 7.0965.

【Upstream Raw Material USD Market Prices】

Ethylene Asia: CFR Northeast Asia USD 735/ton; CFR Southeast Asia USD 725/ton.

Propylene Northeast Asia: FOB South Korea average USD 695/ton; CFR China average USD 725/ton.

North Asia refrigerated cargo CIF price: Propane USD 508-510/ton; Butane USD 529-531/ton.

South China (China) refrigerated cargo CIF price for early December: Propane USD 548-558/ton; Butane USD 533-543/ton.

Taiwan region refrigerated cargo CIF price: Propane USD 508-510/ton; Butane USD 529-531/ton.

【LLDPE USD Market Prices】

Film: USD 830-855/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Injection Molding: USD 935/ton (CFR Huangpu).

【HDPE USD Market Prices】

Film: USD 860-905/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Injection Molding: USD 820-830/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Blow Molding (Hollow): USD 830-850/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Pipes: USD 1010/ton (CFR Huangpu).

【LDPE USD Market Prices】

Film: USD 1030-1050/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Coating: USD 1190/ton (CFR Huangpu).

【PP USD Market Prices】

Injection Molding: USD 810-915/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Copolymer: USD 825-880/ton (CFR Nansha);

Film Grade: USD 990/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Transparent Grade: USD 1035-1065/ton (CFR Huangpu);

Pipes: USD 1100/ton (CFR Shanghai).