Beginning in January 2026, prices in the US polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) market continued their decline due to slowed demand resulting from heavy purchases by downstream consumers at year-end. Several downstream consumer products, such as textiles, detergent pods, and paper products, but particularly textiles, entered 2026 with adequate inventory levels, thereby choosing not to make new purchases. Suppliers revisited pricing and delivery conditions to keep up with the changing shopping habits of customers due to January's decline. Market participants noted this price drop represented a significant loss for suppliers, which negated any price improvements made over the past several months. Also, because of this decline, the PVA value returned to approximately the same ranges as in previous quarters for most suppliers in the current quarter (January). Although commodity grades were under the most pricing pressure, the specialty and higher viscosity grades of PVA did hold up, supported by strong ongoing demand for film and medical applications. Distributors were also working through excess inventories, which contributed to additional near-term softness. Despite the decline in January, there is still cautious optimism about PVA in the market.
