PODCAST: Limited positivity in PET outlook for Asia and Europe

LONDON (ICIS)–Caroline Murray, senior editor for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in Europe, talks with her counterpart in Asia, Zachary Tia, about the new and continued challenges in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

• JBF temporary closure in Belgium is hot topic in Europe
• China economy falters, new plant start-ups in Asia debatable
• Middle East buyers hold back, sellers’ interest in exports grows

PET resins can be broadly classified into bottle, fibre or film grade, named according to the downstream applications. Bottle grade resin is the most commonly traded form of PET resin and it is used in bottle and container packaging through blow moulding and thermoforming.

Fibre grade resin goes into making polyester fibre, while film grade resin is used in electrical and flexible packaging applications. PET can be compounded with glass fibre for the production of engineering plastics.