Ian Chisanll
Product Manager ‑ Polyolefins
Packaging Price Know-how
July 2026
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Overview
July has seen further drops in the cost of packaging films as pricing for the polymers has dropped and availability has improved.
Polypropylene raw material prices have dropped significantly through June and into July. PET pricing has not seen as big a fall with some restrictions on availability, increasing freight rates and strong demand for water bottles.
Escalating tensions in the Middle East are a cause for concern though prices seen in March and April are not likely to return. Buyers are concerned, but not panicking.
Monomer Price Movement
Feedstock
Price per Tonne
Change (contract) Since Last Month
C2 (Ethylene)
£1,247.84
-£172.71
C3 (Propylene)
£1,178.75
-£164.08
SM (Styrene Monomer)
£1,461.13
-£233.16
Benzene
£943.87
-£88.08
Brent Crude (monthly average)
£477.07
-£94.67
Exchange Rates
€
1.16
$
1.33
€/$
1.16
Oil Prices
Exchange Rates
UK Economic Data
Topic
Item
Date
Change
Trend
GDP
Real GDP (Q on Q)
Q1 2026
£709,598
PMI
UK Manufacturing PMI
June
52.5%
UK Output
Manufacturing Index
Q1 2026
101.4%
Sales
Retail Sales (Y on Y)
May 26
108.8%
Labour
Unemployment Rate
Feb 26 – Apr 26
4.9%
Prices
CPI (Y on Y)
May
2.8
Prices
RPI (Y on Y)
May
3.1%
Interest Rates
Bank of England Base Rate
June
3.75%
Packaging Materials
PET
PET film pricing is relatively stable following the drops of June. We are still in the region of £400 / MT higher than we were in February. Buyers are expressing concerns about the return to hostilities in the Middle East and the effect on availability. European production of PET has been curtailed, and we are dependent on imports.
BOPP / CPP
PP film prices are dropping as the lower cost of PP resin is passed through into the market. We may see a plateau this month as concerns over availability return should the Strait of Hormuz be closed for an extended period of time.
Polyolefins Feedstocks
£/Metric Tonne by month
Sustainable Films
rPET is relatively stable in line with virgin prices.
Films based on Sustainable feedstocks (Bio and Bio Circular) are slightly down as the premiums are aligned with petrochemical derived monomers that fell in July by approx. £150 / MT
Insights
For further inquiries or additional information, please feel free to explore our Insights page for guidance and advice on key issues concerning the packaging industry.
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A trusted, go-to resource for over a decade, Packaging Price Know-how is produced by the experts at leading distributor, Plastribution with data from Plastics Information Europe.
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