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 vs. sluggish demand
• PVC: capacity reductions vs. weak construction demand
• Engineering resins: stable base prices but rising RMC
• PET: slow fundamentals, limited pricing power

This is a year where signals matter more than narratives—and discipline will determine who holds leverage. Get started today at resinsmart.ai. 

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-driven market. Buyers who focus on inventories, operating rates, and feedstocks will retain leverage.

Learn more at resinsmart.ai.

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 giving PS suppliers new leverage heading into Q1.

Topics Covered

• Soft demand vs. supply discipline in early 2026
• PE and PP pricing dynamics after a weak 2025
• Why PVC is tightening despite weak construction demand
• Feedstock impacts on PS and styrenics
• What procurement teams should watch as volatility increases

Key Takeaway

2026 is shaping up to be a year where volatility and selectivity matter more than direction. Buyers who stay disciplined and focus on real market signals will retain leverage as the year unfolds.

👉 Learn more about ResinSmart: https://www.resinsmart.ai
👉 Start a free trial: https://app.resinsmart.ai/free-trial

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, refinery economics, and volatility may influence resin costs — and how procurement teams should think about this development heading into 2026.

What This Episode Covers

• Why Venezuela is an indirect, not direct, resin pricing story
• How heavy crude availability affects Gulf Coast refineries
• The connection between diesel markets, freight costs, and delivered resin pricing
• Why North America’s ethane-based PE advantage remains intact
• Where PP, PS, ABS, and PET may see marginal second-order impacts
• Why volatility — not a new inflationary cycle — is the real risk in 2026

2026 Resin Outlook by Quarter (High Level)

• PE: Structurally insulated; minimal impact across all quarters
• PP: Refinery utilization and PDH reliability matter more than crude headlines
• PS: Feedstock noise likely exceeds real demand signals
• PVC: Demand and housing fundamentals dominate
• PET: Minor freight relief possible; no structural pricing change

Key ResinSmart Buyer Takeaway

This event does not fundamentally change the resin pricing landscape in 2026 — but it does increase volatility and the likelihood of narrative-driven pricing attempts.

Buyers who:

• separate signals from headlines
• watch refinery utilization and feedstock reliability
• benchmark pricing early
• and prepare for volatility

will maintain leverage as the year unfolds.

👉 Learn more about ResinSmart: https://www.resinsmart.ai
👉 Start a free trial: https://app.resinsmart.ai/free-trial

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, why most resin forecasts miss, and how to use forward-looking intelligence to reduce risk and improve negotiation leverage.

What We Cover in This Episode

• Why resin forecasting is so difficult — and why traditional models fail
 • The difference between real market signals and market noise
 • Why starting with real transaction data matters more than index movement
• How ResinSmart and RTi build rolling, quarterly forecasts
• Why confidence ranges matter more than point predictions

2026 Resin Outlook by Polymer Family

• Polyethylene (PE): Balanced to soft early 2026 with tightening risk mid-year
• Polypropylene (PP): Near cycle bottom with Q1–Q2 tightening risk tied to PDH reliability
• PET: Balanced demand with regional volatility and evolving import dynamics
• Polystyrene (PS): Feedstock-driven noise, weak demand limits upside
• PVC: Structurally weak entering 2026; housing demand remains the key driver
• Engineering Resins (ABS, PC, PA6/66): Flat to slightly down early, selective volatility later

Key Takeaway for Resin Buyers

Forecasting isn’t about certainty — it’s about preparation.

The buyers who win in 2026 will be the ones who:

• benchmark fair pricing early,
• re-forecast quarterly,
• separate supplier narratives from real market conditions, and
• use forecasts as a negotiation and planning tool — not a crystal ball.

This episode is designed to help processors plan with confidence instead of reaction.

Learn more about ResinSmart: https://www.resinsmart.ai
Start your free trial: https://app.resinsmart.ai/free-trial

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 PE price increases aren’t supported by demand fundamentals
 • Why PP is near the bottom of the cycle — and why Q1 2026 matters
 • Why PVC remains structurally weak heading into the new year
 • How feedstock noise is affecting PS without real demand recovery
 • Why engineering resins are setting up for volatility, not inflation
 • Why PET remains balanced to soft despite tariff concerns

Big Picture for Buyers

2026 will reward buyers who:

• benchmark pricing early,
• plan deliberately,
• and resist reactive decisions driven by supplier narratives.

The real risk next year isn’t paying slightly more — it’s allowing non-market margin creep back into contracts.

ResinSmart helps buyers gain clarity before the market turns — not after.

👉 Learn more: https://www.resinsmart.ai
👉 Start your free trial: https://app.resinsmart.ai/free-trial

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 flat despite producer increase attempts
 • Polypropylene demand weakness suggests the cycle bottom is forming
 • Polystyrene pricing holds steady despite feedstock volatility
 • Engineering resins (ABS, PC, nylons) show no year-end momentum
 • PET remains flat amid seasonal demand slowdown
 • Why the current macro environment favors disciplined buyers
 • How to separate real market movement from supplier-driven margin recovery

 What Buyers Should Take Away

As 2025 ends, this remains a buyer-friendly market — but that window will not stay open forever.

Buyers who benchmark pricing, validate increases, and plan proactively will enter 2026 with a significant advantage.

ResinSmart provides the transparency and market intelligence buyers need to negotiate with confidence.

Explore ResinSmart: https://www.ResinSmart.ai
Start a free trial: https://app.resinsmart.ai/free-trial

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 impacts pricing, leverage, service, and risk.

Topics Covered

• How resin distribution really works behind the scenes
• Why consolidation has quietly reduced buyer leverage
• The role of channel managers — and why distributors can’t always quote RFQs
• How private equity ownership is changing distributor behavior
• What happens when resin prices rebound and margin recapture begins
• Why distribution strategy now matters as much as price
• Practical guidance for evaluating your 2026 distribution approach

If you buy resin — especially through distribution — this episode will change how you think about leverage, optionality, and risk.

 Next Steps for Listeners

• Start a 60-day free trial of ResinSmart to benchmark distributor pricing and validate margins
 • Schedule a personalized 2026 distribution strategy conversation with the ResinSmart team

Visit ResinSmart.ai to get started.

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 contracts flat
 • Record inventory declines but still weak fundamentals
 • Increases announced for December/January lack justification

PP

• November down 1¢
 • Inventories at lowest levels of 2025
 • PGP stable in the mid-20s; Q1 tightening expected

PS

• Flat pricing; BZ rebound could pressure January

PVC

• Inventories down again but demand still depressed

ABS, PC, PA6, PA66

• Stable-to-lower pricing
 • Automotive + retail weakness persists

PET

• Flat fundamentals and weak seasonal demand

Final Word: Preparing for 2026

2025 ends with buyers holding meaningful leverage.
 Now is the time to:
 ✔ benchmark your resin pricing
 ✔ challenge non-market adjustments
 ✔ solidify 2026 contract strategy
 ✔ build data-backed negotiation plans

ResinSmart provides the transparency, benchmarking, and forecasting tools processors need to navigate volatile resin markets with confidence.

Start your free trial: https://app.resinsmart.ai/free-trial
Learn more: https://www.ResinSmart.ai

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 market, why pricing is sitting at multi-year lows, and why the industry is heading toward what he calls a “perfect storm” in Q1 of 2026.

You’ll learn:
 🟦 Why PP has been unusually stable for almost two years
 🟦 Why processors pulling back on purchases are masking true demand
 🟦 How producer run rates have dropped from the mid-80s down to 75% (and may hit 70%)
🟦 Why inventories at ~35 days signal a weak but volatile setup
🟦 How PDH outages, cracker turnarounds, and refinery blend changes will collide in Q1
🟦 Why a Gulf Coast freeze could accelerate PGP and PP price spikes
🟦 What ResinSmart data tells us about 3–5¢/lb increases — or more — once Q1 hits
🟦 Why prices may not fall back after those increases
🟦 How processors should prepare now for 2026 negotiations

One of Lowell’s most important messages:

Michael and Lowell close the episode with actionable advice for processors planning their 2026 resin strategy — including whether to pre-buy PP in Q4, how to position contracts for the coming cycle, and how ResinSmart can help buyers benchmark and validate pricing in real time.

From all of us at ResinSmart and RTi Global — Happy Thanksgiving.

Enjoy the holiday, your favorite side dish, and the buyer’s advantage while it lasts. Learn more or request a pricing benchmark at: https://www.resinsmart.ai