What is Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)?

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the polymers in the technical thermoplastics group. PET is derived from ethylene glycol and terephthalate acid. It’s a transparent, light, rigid and strong polymer perfectly suited for the production of soft drink bottles, food and medicine packaging. It is also widely used in textile industry, where it is woven into various wool, cotton and other fabrics to provide them with crease resistance.

PET market

Global PET production and usage is growing. In 2015 global annual PET production capacity was around 28 million tonnes. China is a market leader and is responsible for more than a quarter of global production. Europe and North America produce less than a fifth of global tonnage each. The main factors that drive PET prices the most are oil price and demand for PET in food and drinks packaging industry. Plastic bottle manufacturers consume around 70 % of global PET materials, because of its mechanical resistance, colour transparency, ease of transformation and ease of dyeing.

Future growth in PET consumption is forecasted, due to demand from food and drink packaging industry, which is driven by global population growth, urbanisation and growth in disposable income in emerging markets. PET waste, especially bottles, is recyclable and can be reused for the production of new packages and bottles. As customers become more concerned about CO2 emissions and effect that plastics have on environment, they start choosing more environmentally friendly, recyclable products.

For more information on the specific polyethylene brand and supply conditions please contact us by:
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