Frank Esposito

Plastics industry veteran Ashok Adur, recently named technical program chairman for SPE Antec 2026, says tariffs and economic uncertainty are the biggest challenges facing the sector as companies head into the new year with cautious optimism.

Ideas on new markets and workforce development were shared at a recent industry event.

The plant in Baytown, Texas, will turn waste plastics into new chemical feedstocks.

Ampacet Corp. says the new color options provide a luxury aesthetic that separates them from other pigments.

Officials at Birch Plastics said recycling and toll compounding can help customers return work from overseas.

Ascend Performance Materials is expected to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy by late 2025 under a court-backed plan that transfers ownership to a Silver Point Capital-led group and injects more than $500 million in new equity to stabilize and grow the Houston-based nylon producer.

Prado has more than 30 years of market experience. PGI distributes resins from more than a dozen suppliers, including Formosa Plastics Corp. and Lotte Chemical.

Tariffs pushed PET bottle resin prices up, but reduced demand limited the increase.

Plastics.com, founded by Dale Thomas and John Zessin, is a new digital platform unveiled at K 2025 that uses generative AI to help users quickly select and source the right plastic materials.

At K 2025, Struktol Co. of America promoted two new odor control additives, RP 17 and RP 53, designed to improve the scent and performance of recycled polyethylene and polypropylene materials.