For the Quarter Ending March 2022
North America
The BOPP (Biaxially oriented polypropylene) market in North America remained firm due to stable demand from the downstream food and beverage packing industry. Upstream Polypropylene decreased in the first half of the quarter, which later rose by 6% in February due to high crude oil prices affecting the market of its derivative products. Further, in the later months of Q1 market witnessed some volatility due to the supply chain disruption caused by logistics issues amidst the Russia-Ukraine war making the prices firm in the domestic market. Therefore, with stability in its prices, the BOPP Film 30 Micron market settled at USD 2980 in the USA in Q1.
Asia Pacific
BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene) witnessed consistent rise in prices since the beginning of Q1 due to the volatility in raw material values. Production rates and operational costs of various commodities, including that of feedstock Polypropylene, showcased an upward trajectory. Furthermore, downstream demand from the food packaging industry has been vital in the second half of Q1, pushing prices even higher in the domestic market. In China, prices of BOPP dipped in the first half of Q1 following low demand from the downstream packaging industry, whereas the price rose later with fluctuating upstream Polypropylene values. Demand from the domestic market was stable as the lockdown in the regional market affected the demand-supply chain causing the price for BOPP to stabilize in the later months of Q1. Therefore, prices for BOPP Film 30 Micron hovered at USD 1995 FOB Shanghai.
Europe
Driven by the war situation in the European countries, the BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene) market saw a decline in its price trend in the first quarter. Polypropylene market fluctuated throughout the quarter due to the volatile crude oil prices and cuts in the shipping industry. From the demand side, the downstream packaging industry seemed sluggish, with low market sentiments in the regional market. Thus, low demand and fluctuating feedstock caused the price for BOPP Film 30 Micron to dip by 8% in March and settle at USD 2600 in Germany.
For the Quarter Ending December 2021
North America
Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) prices remained in excess of USD per 2000 throughout the last quarter owing to strong demand for BOPP from downstream food and beverage packing industry. BOPP are more versatile in characteristics than any other grade of polypropylene and therefore, BOPP has been consumed heavily across North American region for retail packaging. On Supply side, production of BOPP improved into the quarter which can also be induced from price deterioration throughout the quarter. BOPP prices started the quarter close to USD 2500 per MT mark however prices declined in November and December due to demand drop and improved production rate.
APAC
Discussions for BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene) in the Indian domestic market remained firm throughout the quarter however its prices marginally dipped in December due to a sudden nosedive in prices of feedstock Propylene. Domestic manufacturers revealed that contrary to the market expectations the demand for BOPP has remained favourable even after the end of festive season in the country. BOPP Laminated film 36-micron prices were assessed at INR 262000 per MT Ex-Depot in December. In China, BOPP prices remained strong in the first half of the quarter where strong demand from food packaging sector kept an upward pressure on the available material. However, demand deteriorated in H2 of Q4 and consequently prices have fallen steeply and were assessed at USD 1330 per MT on FOB basis in late December.
Europe
BOPP market remained robust throughout the last although prices declined marginally towards the later stages of quarter. Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene demand continued to be consistent during Q4 stemming from stable volume intakes from downstream food packaging and other allied industries. Production remained robust as there were no scheduled and unscheduled maintenance in any of BOPP production plants. On the back of aforementioned factors, BOPP prices were assessed rangebound and were measured at USD 1735 per MT.
For the Quarter Ending September 2021
North America
In North America, BOPP Films demand outlook experienced a significant rise owing to the expansion in packaging industry. Moreover, after winter disruption in Q2, most of the industries rebound their production activities with full efficacy. In third quarter, BOPP Films gained tremendous values backed by the hike in prices of feedstock, high demand from downstream sectors, and curtailment in the production rates in mid-quarter because of the arrival of Ida Hurricane in US Gulf Coast. Most of the manufacturers were compelled to shut their production facilities ahead of the arrival of Ida as a part of an emergency plan that consequently effected the feedstock availability. Hence, an inflation in the pricing trend of BOPP Films was seen in Q3 supported by the escalating demand from packaging and construction industries.
Asia Pacific
In Q3 2021. Asian market witnessed a marginal rise in the values of BOPP. Surging demand from downstream sectors and hike in the prices of feedstock Polypropylene aided the overall price trend of BOPP Films. In China, Polypropylene market remained affected due to the “dual control policy” as many feedstock manufacturers curtailed their production rates. In addition, Shenhua Baotou based in China, imposed a turnaround at its Polypropylene plant unit in September for maintenance purpose. Hence, due to feedstock scarcity backed by lower production rates and tight import supplies from US due to Hurricane Ida, BOPP prices gained hike in China during this quarter. Similarly, Indian market also experienced a slight hike in the prices of BOPP Films as the offtakes from the domestic packaging sector witnessed an improvement. Moreover, rising values of feedstock Polypropylene also led to a hike in the prices of downstream products including BOPP Films. Therefore, EX-Mumbai BOPP Films prices stood at USD 2146.81/MT in September showcasing a marginal hike of USD 116.89/MT since July.
Europe
In Europe, supplies from the US remained tight due to the repercussion of Ida hurricane that consequently propelled the prices of BOPP film in Q3 2021. Moreover, extremely high freight charges and scarcity of containers along with delayed shipping timings extended the burden on European market. However, demand from the packaging industry remained firm throughout the quarter. Hence, constraint availability of feedstock Polypropylene amidst sturdy demand led to a spike in the prices of BOPP Films during this quarter in the European market.
For the Quarter Ending June 2021
North America
The supply conditions of BOPP films in North America improved compared to the previous quarter as the production levels regained pace after winter-storm disruptions. The availability of upstream Propylene was ample as refineries, crackers, and propane dehydrogenation (PDH) ramped up the operations. With majority of feedstock diverted towards the manufacturing of BOPP Films, the supplies were sufficient to meet the end use demand. Demand varied depending upon the industries, as the offtakes from the packaging industries were balanced and the enquiries from the construction sector surged with market rebound. However, the pricing trend in the North American region observed a proportional growth with the hike in demand.
Asia Pacific
The demand of the BOPP Film in the Asia Pacific region witnessed a significant growth as several nations started their industrial and commercial activities, which surged the offtakes from the downstream packaging sector. Despite the second COVID wave and partial lockdown in India the packaging industries reported consistent and normal operations during the first half of the quarter in India. Consequently, the pricing discussion observed a marginal downfall with Ex-Works Delhi settlements hovering around USD 2393 per tonne for 35-micron grade. Supplies showcased mixed sentiments in different parts of the APAC region as the market outlook in two major economies India and China differentiated from each other. In China due to the increased inflation rate prices of raw materials, the domestic BOPP film prices surged with upstream Propylene adding to the cost support.
Europe
BOPP film supplies in the European region improved during the second quarter of 2021, owing to better quantity of shipments from the North American region as the region recovered from the impact of winter storm Uri, whereas various plants ramped up the production of upstream PP. However, amidst the Suez Canal blockage imports were delayed in early in the quarter. Italy’s BOPP market showed fall in activity on month-o-month basis as the manufacturers were reluctant to procure the high-cost raw material. Demand outlook in the regional market was mainly focused over the construction and packaging sector.
For the Quarter Ending March 2021
North America
While the American BOPP film producers remained occupied with strong market enquiries, the producers remained largely concerned over tight Propylene and Polypropylene supplies. The production levels were hampered after tight feedstock supplies were reported due to unplanned shutdown of the various chemicals and petrochemical facilities in the US Gulf region as the severe freeze weather conditions limited the availability of required feedstock and disrupted logistics. The demand maintained a healthy status from the downstream packaging sector, however the supply-demand gap widened which resulted in enormous spike in prices of BOPP films in the North American region.
Asia-Pacific (APAC)
In Asia Pacific, during Q1 2021, the BOPP film market remained balanced in the northeast Asian region, due to ample supply of the upstream and feedstock chemicals crediting to the commissioning of new facilities in China. However, raw material shortage coupled with the consistent demand from the food packaging and e-commerce sector continued to drive the BOPP price curve in the Indian market. The uptrend was strongly attributed to strong PP prices which skyrocketed by around 20 percent while packaging film prices jumped by around 25 percent in India during the quarter. The cost pressure from the feedstock compelled market players to induce a positive revision in BOPP film prices during the quarter.
Europe
During the first quarter, the supplies of feedstock PP remained tight owing to planned and unplanned shutdowns in the upstream plants in Northwest region, followed by the decline in imports from US amid unprecedented cold weather conditions which hit the global supply. The widening of supply demand gap surged the spot prices of BOPP in the region which and increased feedstock imports from the Asian players. Demand outlook was robus from the downstream packaging sector.
For the Quarter Ending December 2020
Asia-Pacific
During the fourth quarter of 2020, supplies of BOPP remained marginally tight, as the crude oil production was reduced by the OPEC nations while its demand bolstered in the region due to ease in the restrictions following the resumption of industrial and commercial activities. The demand in the Q4 picked up from due to the festive seasons. The widened demand and supply gap led to a constant surge in the prices of BOPP, which were further supported by the supply constraints due to the plant outages by the end of the quarter. Meanwhile BOPP prices the prices in the Indian market remained in range of USD 1813 – 3100/tonne film grade in the quarter ending December.
Europe
Supplies remained in a stable to firm range in Q4 of 2020 as the concerns of new wave of coronavirus led to a surge in the consumption of BOPP from the food and packaging sector as the people preferred to purchase packed items to safeguard themselves from the spread. Thus, the production cut on the crude extraction from the OPEC and limited trade amid the reduced shipping availability resulted in increased prices of BOPP in the region.
North America
Supplies remained tight, during the first half of the Q4 of 2020, due to the disruption caused by the spate of hurricanes along the Gulf region. In early November, hurricane caused the power disruptions which led to the production cut as the major plants in the region declared force majeure. However, the supplies improved by the second half of the last quarter. The demand remained strong during the final quarter as the demand from the food-packaging and constructions sector considerably improved.
