The Plastic Resin Buyer Brief

Early 2026 is not behaving like a typical resin cycle. Polyethylene inventories surged — yet producers are pushing price increases. Polypropylene is seeing feedstock pressure. Polystyrene is reacting to benzene spikes. PVC is tightening due to turnaround season. PET remains weak — for now. So what’s real? In this episode of Resin Market Brief, Michael Workman explains: Why inventory builds don’t a...

There are two types of resin buyers: those who’ve been wrong on a forecast—and those who will be. In this special edition of Resin Market Brief, Michael Workman and Tyler Wheeler discuss why resin forecasts break and what top procurement teams do differently to defend them. Key topics: why forecasts aren’t predictions—they’re decision tools for finance and operations the 9 levers that drive resin...

In this episode of Resin Market Moves , Michael Workman, Executive Director of ResinSmart, walks through the key risks shaping the North American plastic resin market in early 2026. Rather than a demand-led recovery, markets are being driven by: supply discipline in polyethylene feedstock volatility in polypropylene cost push without demand support in polystyrene rising raw material costs beneath...

January set the tone for 2026: selective tightening, feedstock volatility, and supplier initiatives moving faster than demand. This week’s Resin Market Moves covers: PE increases driven by supply discipline PP feedstock pressure from PDH outages PS cost push without demand support Engineering resins stable, but RMC rising Nylon supplier initiatives ahead of fundamentals PET rollover and what to wa...

In this episode, Michael Workman reviews the key signals shaping resin procurement through late January 2026: cautious macro conditions, energy/feedstock volatility, and supply disruptions that are tightening select resin chains. Key topics: PE: winter storm disruption risk + Ineos FM tightening HD pipe/film PP: PDH outages lifting PGP and pushing contracts higher PS: benzene-driven cost pressure...

This week’s Resin Market Moves breaks down how supply-side events and feedstock pressure are shaping resin pricing early in 2026. We cover: PE force majeure and rising January nominations PP feedstock-driven pricing pressure PVC capacity closures and pricing risk PS increases tied to benzene What rising RMC means for engineering resins This is not a uniform upcycle—it’s a selective, volatility-dri...

In this episode of Resin Market Moves , Michael Workman walks through how North American resin markets are beginning 2026—and why buyers should expect uneven pricing behavior by resin family , not a clean January reset. Soft demand carryover from 2025 continues to weigh on PE and PP, while supply discipline is already pushing PVC prices higher. Meanwhile, rising benzene and styrene costs are givin...

Welcome to the first Resin Market Moves of 2026. In this episode, Michael Workman breaks down one of the year’s first major Black Swan events — the U.S. move to effectively control Venezuelan oil production — and explains what it does and does not mean for North American plastic resin pricing . This is not a headline-driven take. It’s a practical, buyer-focused analysis of how energy markets, refi...

As the plastics industry closes out 2025, resin buyers are entering a critical planning window for 2026. In this episode of Resin Market Brief , Michael Workman and Kevin Mekaru break down what the data actually says about where resin markets are headed — and how buyers should be preparing. This is not a headline-driven forecast. It’s a practical, buyer-focused discussion on signals vs. noise , wh...

In this Christmas Edition of Resin Market Moves , Michael Workman recaps the latest resin market fundamentals and explains how buyers should be thinking about 2026 strategy as supplier behavior begins to shift. Despite producer attempts to push price increases, most resin markets are still characterized by soft demand, ample supply, and strong buyer leverage . What’s Covered in This Episode: • Why...

In this episode of Resin Market Moves , Michael Workman provides a year-end recap of the North American resin markets and explains how buyers should be thinking about 2026 strategy . Despite inventory draws in several resin families, demand remains soft across most end markets, leaving buyers with meaningful leverage heading into the new year.     Topics Discussed • Polyethylene pricing remains fl...

Resin distribution is no longer a background procurement decision — it has become strategic infrastructure. In this episode, Michael Workman , Kevin Mekaru , and Tyler Wheeler unpack the realities of today’s resin distribution landscape and explain why buyers heading into 2026 need to rethink long-standing assumptions. This conversation covers what rarely gets discussed publicly — but directly imp...

In this episode of Resin Market Moves , we break down the final month of the 2025 resin market — a year marked by soft demand, oversupply, and steady downward pressure across almost every major resin family. Join Michael Workman as he walks through the latest RTi Drivers data and provides actionable insight for resin buyers preparing for 2026.   In This Episode You'll Learn: PE • November contract...

In this special Thanksgiving episode of Resin Market Moves , Michael Workman sits down with a true industry icon — Lowell Huovinen , who brings more than 40 years of polypropylene purchasing expertise , including roles at Spectrum Polymers, Poly-America, and nearly three decades with the ResinSmart powered by RTi Global team. Lowell breaks down the current state of the North American polypropylene...

In this week’s episode of Resin Market Moves , we break down the latest fundamentals across North American resin markets.. Even with meaningful October inventory drawdowns, most resin families continue to face weak demand, long supply, and minimal cost-push pressure. This episode covers: PE: Significant inventory decline but still weak overall sentiment  PP:  Big inventory drop; PGP in mid-20s; Q1...

Fresh off a visit at the AMI Plastics Expo in Cleveland, we report a similar message that we've been reporting for the last several weeks: demand is soft, inventories are long, and attempted price increases don’t have fundamental support. In this Resin Market Moves episode, Michael Workman breaks down: Market Highlights Polyethylene (PE): Huge October draw but still long YoY; producer increases un...

If you’ve ever been blindsided by a last-minute board request, pushed to explain a spike in resin costs, or struggled to prove your value to leadership, this Resin Market Brief is for you. Host Brian Balboa sits down with Tyler Wheeler and Greg Eberhardt , senior procurement leaders at ResinSmart powered by RTi , to unpack how resin buyers can move from “cost negotiator” to true business partner i...

Flat prices. Weak demand. Long inventories. Welcome to The Waiting Game — where resin buyers hold firm and producers keep testing price increases that the data doesn’t support. In this week’s Resin Market Moves, Michael breaks down what’s happening across North America’s resin markets and what it means for buyers planning year-end negotiations and 2026 budgets.   Resin Market Highlights Polyethyle...

In this episode of Resin Market Brief – A Buyer’s Journey , hosts Michael Workman and Tyler Wheeler welcome Justin Riney , host of Redefining Plastics and former resin buyer, for an honest conversation about what it really takes to succeed in modern procurement. Together they explore: Why the best resin buyers build relationships instead of relying on RFPs How trust, transparency, and negotiation...

History repeats.  In the resin market — like every commodity cycle before it — price resistance without justification never lasts. This week, Michael breaks down why producers’ attempted increases across PE, PP, PS, PVC, ABS, PC, and PET don’t align with the data — and how buyers can use transparency to push back with confidence. Highlights: • PE: Proposed +3¢/lb for November lacks merit. • PP: Fe...

Despite a September inventory draw, North American resin markets remain oversupplied and weak. Producers are testing increases, but fundamentals say otherwise. Highlights • Polyethylene draw  but  demand soft. • Polypropylene contracts tracking –4 to –5¢ as PGP costs collapse. • Polystyrene, ABS, PC, PVC – stable to lower pricing. • PET still flat with weak demand and feedstock declines. Key Takea...

Even with the first real inventory draw in months, North American resin remains oversupplied — and buyers still have leverage heading into Q4. In this week’s Resin Market Moves, Michael breaks down what’s happening across PE, PP, PS, PVC, ABS, PC, and PET — and what it means for your negotiations. Resin Market Highlights: Polyethylene (PE): • Inventories down in September — a meaningful draw, but...

Even multiple production hiccups couldn’t move this resin market. As we enter mid-Q4, the theme is clear across North America: flat pricing, weak demand, and oversupply. In this week’s Resin Market Moves , Michael breaks down what’s really happening across the major resin families — and what it means for buyers trying to hold the line on costs.   Resin Market Highlights: Polyethylene (PE): Dow, Ex...

As we head into Q4, the resin markets across North America tell one story: flat pricing, weak demand and oversupply. In this short video, Michael breaks down what’s happening across key resin families — and what buyers need to know heading into year-end negotiations: 🔹 Polyethylene (PE): Flat in September, inventories up +243 million lbs. Producers pushing +3–5¢ for October, but demand won’t supp...

Suppliers are nominating increases across PE, PP, PVC, PET, and more — but the data says otherwise. In this week’s Resin Market Moves (Sept 26, 2025), Michael Workman of ResinSmart breaks down the latest market drivers: Key Insights: PE: Inventories up massively YOY; +5¢/+3–5¢ nominations lack support PP: Flat as PGP rolled at 35.5¢; 40 days of supply on hand PS: Lower after September benzene cont...