Lactic acid and PLA: Trading
Packaging converters and food brands: the real buyers
What this tab covers How it is bought and sold: buyers and sellers, price benchmarks and who publishes them, exchanges, contract types, traders, how Indian buyers price it, recent price points, and good sources to follow.Who buys, and where
- NatureWorks (US, Thailand)
- TotalEnergies Corbion (Thailand)
- Chinese producers
- Balrampur (India, from 2026-2027)
Who sells, and from where
- Packaging converters and food service brands
- Nonwoven and fibre makers
- 3D filament makers
- Compounders
Price benchmarks
| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| PLA injection and film grade prices by region | Procurement Resource, ChemAnalyst, IMARC (paid) | monthly or quarterly |
Exchanges
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| none | not exchange-traded | Sugar futures (ICE No. 11) hedge feedstock |
Contract types
- Annual contracts with converters and brands
- Spot through distributors for small buyers
Traders and distributors
- Polymer distributors (indicative)
How Indian buyers price it
- Import parity from Thailand and China today
- Balrampur will price against imports and against fossil plastics plus the cost of compliance with single-use plastic rules
Recent price points
| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 2025 | falling in Asia, rising in Europe, stable in North America | directional, PLA | Procurement Resource, H1 2025 |
| 2025-2026 | about $2,000-3,000/t (indicative) | PLA general grades | indicative |
Good sources to follow
European Bioplastics market datafree research site · European BioplasticsAnnual bioplastics capacity and utilisation
renewable-carbon.eu newsfree newsletter · nova-InstituteBio-based chemicals and plastics news
Bioplastics Magazinefreemium newsletter · Polymedia PublisherBioplastics industry news
S&P Global Commodity Insights agriculture newsfreemium research site · S&P GlobalIndian sugar mills' move into bioplastics and SAF