Polymers for Europe Alliance Confirms Continued Suspension of 2026 Awards Amid Ongoing Market Volatility

Brussels, June 09th, 2026

The Polymers for Europe Alliance announced on May 4th that it would suspend the 2026 Awards assessment process due to the unprecedented instability affecting polymer markets and the resulting inability to conduct a fair and balanced evaluation of supplier performance. We indicated at that time that a further update would be provided around the EuPC annual meeting in early June.

Unfortunately, the exceptional volatility affecting global polymer markets continues.

Over recent months, several commodity polymer indices have increased dramatically within a very short period of time. Supply disruptions linked to the conflict in the Middle East and the resulting impact on global logistics and feedstock availability have created significant uncertainty across the plastics value chain. Converters have faced acute challenges managing supply continuity, rapidly increasing working capital requirements and substantial margin pressure, particularly where the pace of raw material inflation has exceeded the industry’s ability to pass through costs to end markets.

In such conditions, it is not possible to establish the stability and transparency required for a balanced assessment of supplier performance through the Awards programme. The Alliance has therefore decided that the Awards process will remain suspended for this year.

At the same time, these events have reinforced several important realities for the European plastics industry.

First, the current situation underlines the importance of responsible and sustainable behaviour across the entire supply chain during periods of extreme market disruption. The long-term health of the industry depends on maintaining a viable and competitive converting sector alongside a strong polymer production base.

Second, recent events have once again demonstrated the strategic importance of maintaining a substantial and competitive domestic polymer manufacturing capability in Europe. Following the disruptions experienced during Covid, the Suez Canal crisis, tariff disputes and now the instability surrounding the Straits of Hormuz, resilient regional supply chains have become more critical than ever for Europe’s plastics industry, where the chemical sector and converters represent combined 4 million jobs.

The Alliance therefore reiterates its intention to work constructively and collaboratively with polymer producers, industry stakeholders and policymakers to support conditions that strengthen European manufacturing competitiveness, supply security and long-term investment across the value chain.

As previously stated, preserving and strengthening the European polymer supply base will remain a central focus of the Alliance going forward.

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About Polymers for Europe Alliance

The Alliance was initiated by the European Plastics Converters association (EuPC) during its General Assembly in May 2015. It is an online, confidential information platform open to all parties who have an interest in the competitive conversion of polymers in Europe. Its objectives are to provide factual public information on the status of the polymer supply situation in Europe and to re-establish a constructive dialogue with the supply base. The initiatives of the Alliance also include the Best Polymer Producers Awards for Europe, which are now organised on an annual basis. In this Europe-wide online customers’ satisfaction survey all users of polymers in Europe can rate their best suppliers of the year.

polymercomplyeurope.eu/pce-services/polymers-europe-alliance

About European Plastics Converters (EuPC)

EuPC is the EU-level Trade Association, based in Brussels, representing European Plastics Converters. Plastics converters (sometimes called "Processors") are the heart of the plastics industry. They manufacture plastics semi-finished and finished products for an extremely wide range of industrial and consumer markets - the automotive electrical and electronic, packaging, construction and healthcare industries, to name but a few.

www.plasticsconverters.eu

Contact: Tracey Nguyen - tracey.nguyen@pceu.eu