Ethyl Vinyl Alcohol Copolymer (EVOH) prices in the UK declined during May 2025 despite higher production costs due to rising feedstock EVA prices and outages in feedstock plants. While the European logistics were hampered by port congestion, this supply tightness was not enough to offset the decline in EVOH prices. Because of the continued uncertainty around US-EU tariffs, export demand for EVOH remained weak, making the climate difficult for manufacturers. Additionally, the UK's EVOH price trend was reinforced by the weak demand from the downstream packaging and automobile industries.

Key Takeaways:

• A rise in the feedstock EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) prices higher the manufacturing costs.
• Port congestion in Europe affected trade flow.
• Trade Statistics reported a 77.9% decline in EVOH imports to Germany.
• US-EU trade uncertainty hampered EVOH exports.
• The availability of competitive materials from Southeast Asia influenced negative trends in the global EVOH market.

As per ChemAnalyst, the EVOH prices in the UK are expected to further decline in June 2025 amid Mitsubishi Chemical's UK EVOH expansion could signal for future supply increase.

A significant contract awarded to Bilfinger SE by Mitsubishi Chemical U.K. Ltd. for the expansion of its Soarnol (EVOH) polymer production facility at Saltend Chemical Park, East Yorkshire, signals a notable development for the global market. By building a new production line next to Mitsubishi's current facility, this project might boost the company's ability to produce more of this high-performance ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) polymer.

When the enlarged facility is finished, it should increase the total supply of EVOH, which could have an impact on future pricing patterns, especially in the European and international markets. This increased output is aimed at serving diverse industrial applications, including the automotive components, packaging materials, and consumer goods sectors, suggesting an anticipated rise in demand from these downstream industries.

While doing the recent assessment, EVOH prices in the UK declined by 0.9% during May 2025 compared with the last month due to prevailing market sentiments. The export demand remained subdued in May 2025, largely due to the EU-US trade war, which curtailed procurement activity.

Additionally, there was a discernible drop in new export sales due to the downstream packaging and automotive sectors. EVOH imports to Germany decreased from 6.8 MT in April 2025 to 1.5 MT in May 2025, according to the Trade Statistics. Despite a slight increase in consumer confidence in Europe coupled with improving business confidence, these positive economic indicators were insufficient to spur a surge in new orders.

However, European EVOH supply remained tight in May 2025 due to higher production costs from rising feedstock EVA and significant outages at facilities like TotalEnergies' Gonfreville and Versalis' EVA unit.