Industry Trends · 9 Oct 2026Editor’s Pick
Seven Months Into the Hormuz Crisis: What the War Has Done to Plastic, PET and Scrap Businesses in India
Recorded ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is still a small fraction of what it was before the Iran war began on 28 February 2026. On 6 October 2026, only seven commodity vessels crossed, the fewest since 23 July, and attacks on tankers hit their highest weekly level of the war. In India the effects came in waves. Plastic raw material prices rose by half or more within weeks. The government waived import duty and then let the waiver lapse. Small plastic factories shut lines, and recycled plastic became more competitive on price. Recyclers say the gain is uneven, because brands are slow to buy and clean PET bottles are hard to find. This is how the story has run so far, and what it means for people who collect, sort and recycle.