# Lactic acid and PLA: Trading

Packaging converters and food brands: the real buyers

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/trading/

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 data](https://www.european-bioplastics.org/market/)free research site · European Bioplastics

Annual bioplastics capacity and utilisation
[renewable-carbon.eu news](https://renewable-carbon.eu/news/)free newsletter · nova-Institute

Bio-based chemicals and plastics news
[Bioplastics Magazine](https://www.bioplasticsmagazine.com)freemium newsletter · Polymedia Publisher

Bioplastics industry news
[S&P Global Commodity Insights agriculture news](https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/agriculture/061726-indias-sugar-mills-pivot-to-bioplastics-saf-amid-ethanol-glut)freemium research site · S&P Global

Indian sugar mills' move into bioplastics and SAF

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/cycles/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/lactic_acid_pla/links/index.md)