The U.S. market for isophthalic acid in September 2025 is indicating oversupply and guarded demand, while the PET and coatings industries are maintaining consistent consumption. Major players in the beverage industry, like Coca Cola, are propelling the market because it is increasing the recycled material of their PET bottles to 28% but still depend on virgin PET resin, almost 2.94 million metric tons in 2024, which is supporting the demand for isophthalic acid. The firm is establishing long term objectives to bump up recycled plastics consumption to 30% by 2035, but these aims are not yet relaxing near term demand, so demand is holding firm. On the supply side, domestic producers are holding back robust operating rates, while Canadian and South Korean imports are maintaining availability at ease levels. Imports are running at USD 183.9 million through July, reaching a high in July before easing in August as tariffs and weaker sentiment are influencing flows. Seasonal picks up in PET bottle manufacturing and housing related fiberglass demand are supporting somewhat, but oversupply continues, and prices continue under pressure into October.
Selenis has effectively manufactured recycled PET chips using terephthalic acid sourced from Circ®, a textile-to-textile recycler based in Virginia. The chip production took place through a series of batches at Selenis' pilot plant in San-Giorgio, Italy. By utilizing inputs recovered from polycotton textile waste, Selenis has created high-quality PET chip, which has been further processed into DTY yarn. This yarn will play a crucial role in product development as Circ prepares for additional capsule launches. Selenis is leveraging the success of this initial collaboration phase and is committed to advancing towards an offtake partnership to support Circ's inaugural industrial facility.
Eduardo Santos, Head of Corporate Strategy at Selenis, remarked that the monomer synthesis showed a performance comparable to virgin terephthalic acid. He expressed optimism about the consistent quality of Circ's monomer output and anticipated future commercial success. Santos pointed out that the Circ partnership complements Selenis's existing mission and goals for a more sustainable textile industry. He further stated their anticipation of expanding upon this collaboration and providing support for Circ's forthcoming commercial production trials.
