Kuraray (Tokyo / Japan; www.kuraray.co.jp) says it has raised prices for its polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) brands “Poval”, “Elvanol”, “Exceval” and “Mowiflex” all over the world from 23 August 2021. In Europe, the prices have been hiked by at least EUR 250/t, and by USD 300/t (EUR 255/t) in the rest of the world except Japan, which will see a raise of JPY 30/kg (EUR 0.23/kg).

The Japanese plastics manufacturer did not provide any reasons for the renewed price hike. However, rising costs for raw materials and logistics could likely be the cause. The company had previously hiked prices for its PVOH brands in April 2021 (see Plasteurope.com of 06.04.2021).