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Editor’s Note: This is a monthly PCR resin pricing analysis contributed by commodity intelligence firm ICIS.

Most U.S. recycled plastic feedstock markets have seen dramatic downward swings through the first half of the year. According to recent earnings calls from several industry groups, H2 sales are expected to be flat, if not weaker, than H1.

There still remains a need for clarity around U.S. trade policy; even with the latest updates, the prior experience of sudden, radical changes with minimal preparation time has made markets wary. 

Recent changes in U.S. recycling capacity — such as the sale of Evergreen’s Riverside, California, facility or the closure of Alpek’s Clear Path Recycling facility — have further impacted market pricing as several did not officially take effect until later in the summer.

In PET and natural HDPE markets, lower bale feedstock costs have been slow to fully reflect in downstream pricing, though prices are softening. 

PET bales on the East Coast are heard around 7 cents/lb ex-works (EXW), while natural HDPE bales on the East Coast are heard as low as 45 cents/lb EXW.

The July US-wide average price for spot market post-consumer rPET flake destined for packaging end markets dropped another 5% month on month — now only up 5% year on year.

The July US-wide average price for spot market post-consumer, food grade rPET pellet is down 4% month on month, though still 2% higher year on year.

The July average price for US spot market post-consumer, natural rHDPE pellet is down 4% month on month, but remains up 64% year on year.

The July average price for US spot market post-consumer, mixed colored rHDPE pellet is down 0.5% month on month.

The July average prices for US spot market post-consumer, natural rLDPE pellet and natural rPP pellet are flat month on month.

The July average price for US spot market post-consumer, black rPP pellet is down 2% month on month.

Pricing information comes from ICIS’s coverage of U.S. recycled plastics markets, including bale, flake and pellet information across rPET, rPE and rPP. Prices shared above exclude transportation costs and “U.S.-wide” averages take into consideration individual U.S. East Coast and U.S. West Coast prices provided by ICIS.

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