What Plastics Information Europe does

Plastics Information Europe (PIE), operated by Kunststoff Information GmbH and part of the KI Group, is a subscription-based B2B market intelligence platform serving the European plastics industry. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Bad Homburg, Germany, the company delivers polymer pricing data, industry news, capacity information, and market analysis to approximately 15,000 users in procurement, sales, and analysis roles across plastics processors, producers, compounders, recyclers, distributors, and traders. Its products are widely referenced in price adjustment clauses within European supply contracts, functioning as an industry-standard benchmark.

The core platform centers on the PIE Subscription, which provides access to over 100 price series for polymers, precursors, and logistics, supported by analytical tools including a Chart Generator, Excel Generator, personalized price profiles (My Prices), and email alerts for force majeure events and rapid price changes. The offering is supplemented by add-on modules: Polyglobe (capacity database), the Spot Price Monitor (weekly spot pricing), the Price Delivery Solution (PDS, an API delivering over 170 trade types), Polymer Price Forecasts (6-month forward analysis), and PIE Industry Talks (webinars). Distribution combines self-serve web checkout, direct enterprise sales, an Apple iOS mobile app (KIGO!), and the PDS API for programmatic integration. Pricing is published: EUR 99/month or EUR 999/year for the core subscription, with modular pricing for add-ons and a 7-day free trial funnel.

Revenue is generated entirely through recurring subscriptions across the core product and add-on modules, with no advertising, transaction, or marketplace revenue lines. The go-to-market is sales-led, combining content marketing through the PIE website, free-trial conversion, email alerts, and direct enterprise outreach leveraging the 50+ year KI Group brand. The company is privately held, with no external institutional investors, no public listing, and no disclosed M&A or funding activity; leadership comprises Managing Director Ulrike Mau and an editorial/sales team reachable through listed German office contacts.

Name

Plastics Information Europe

Legal name

Kunststoff Information GmbH

Website

https://pieweb.plasteurope.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Plastics Information Europe is a subscription-based B2B market intelligence platform serving approximately 15,000 procurement, sales, and analysis professionals in the European plastics industry with polymer pricing data, news, capacity information, and analytical tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plastics Industry Market Intelligence

akta.pro primary industry

Carbon Market Data, Indices, Ratings & Price Reporting (MRPAs) (EUAGAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Plastics Sorting & Reprocessing (PET, HDPE, Film) (BPALADAE)

Keywords

• Polymer pricing data
• Market intelligence services
• Plastics industry news
• Price forecasting
• Feedstock analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Bad Homburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. PIE Subscription: Monthly or annual subscription providing access to daily industry news, European polymer prices (contract and spot), capacity updates, market reports, analytical tools, online archive, chart generator, and personalized price profiles. Subscription includes over 100 price series for polymers, precursors, and logistics.
2. PIE Spot Price Monitor: Separate subscription for weekly updated spot prices for feedstocks and polymers in Europe, not included in standard subscription.
3. Price Delivery Solution (PDS): API-supported automatic delivery solution for over 170 trade types with modular pricing, offered as a separate product from standard subscription.
4. Polyglobe Capacity Database: Separate subscription for online database covering monomers, polymers, capacities, availabilities, future plans, and producer information.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Plastics Information Europe (PIE) provides subscription-based market intelligence for the European plastics industry, covering daily news, polymer contract and spot prices for over 100 series (feedstocks, standard and engineering thermoplastics, recyclates, polyurethanes), 6-month price forecasts, capacity data, and analytical tools. Its reporting and benchmark prices are used in price adjustment clauses in industry supply contracts, supporting procurement, sales, and analysis teams in negotiations and strategic decisions.

Product overview

Plastics Information Europe (PIE) operates as a unified online portal combining multiple market intelligence modules. The core PIE Subscription provides daily industry news, company developments, and over 100 price series for polymers, precursors, and logistics, supported by analysis tools including a Chart Generator and Excel Generator. The offering is supplemented by specialized add-on modules: Polyglobe (capacity database), Spot Price Monitor (weekly spot pricing), PIE Price Delivery Solution (API-based data delivery), Polymer Price Forecasts (6-month forward analysis), and PIE Industry Talks (webinar series). Together, these products serve approximately 15,000 users in procurement, sales, and analysis roles across the European plastics industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PIE Subscription Primary monthly or annual subscription providing daily industry news, European polymer contract and spot prices across more than 100 price series (feedstocks, standard thermoplastics, engineering thermoplastics, recyclates, polyurethanes), 6-month polymer price forecasts, online archive with full-text search, Chart Generator, Excel Generator, My Prices profiles, and personalizable newsletters, targeted at plastics industry procurement, sales, and analysis users.
• Polyglobe Capacity Database Subscription-based online database covering monomers and polymers, current and future capacities, availabilities (present, planned, and historical), future plant plans and growth rates, plus producer information including product portfolios and joint ventures, used by plastics industry strategists and analysts.
• PIE Spot Price Monitor Separate subscription delivering weekly updated spot prices for feedstocks and polymers in Europe, including weekly reference price tables, detail pages with change information, price trends, and overview charts, intended for procurement and sales teams needing short-term price visibility.
• PIE Price Delivery Solution (PDS) API-supported automatic delivery solution providing access to over 170 trade types of PIE price information delivered directly via API link with modular pricing, sold as a separate subscription product for enterprise customers integrating PIE pricing into their own procurement, ERP, or analytics systems.
• Polymer Price Forecasts Add-on subscription providing 6-month polymer price forecasts with forward-looking market analysis and price expectations for polymers and feedstocks, supporting strategic planning and budgeting for plastics industry users.
• PIE Industry Talks Add-on webinar series offering exclusive market analysis and expert commentary on current topics affecting the European plastics industry, including recordings, for subscribers and the broader plastics industry audience.
• KIGO! Mobile App Apple iOS mobile application (KI GO!) that delivers the latest European plastics industry news and market developments to subscribers and users on mobile devices, complementing the PIE web platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Prices used in price adjustment clauses within supply contracts - demonstrating industry-standard benchmark status

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Plastics News (Crain Communications): Industry trade publication providing plastics news, pricing, and rankings. Competes with PIE's editorial and benchmarking products, especially in North American plastics markets.
• Fastmarkets: Price reporting agency for forest products, metals, and polymers, with benchmark prices used in physical contracts. Competes head-to-head with PIE in polymer and recyclate price benchmarks.
• ChemOrbis: Plastics market intelligence and pricing platform serving producers, traders, and converters globally. Closely comparable product set to PIE in polymer pricing and news.
• Polymerupdate: Polymer pricing news and analytics service, particularly active in Asia. Directly comparable product offering to PIE, though geographically weighted toward Asian polymer markets.
• ICIS: Independent Commodity Intelligence Services provides pricing, news, and analytics for the global petrochemical and polymer markets. Closest direct competitor to PIE, with broader geographic coverage and a larger enterprise footprint.
• Argus Media: Independent price reporting and market intelligence for energy and commodities, including polymers and petrochemicals. Direct competitor to PIE in polymer pricing, with global reach and conference/media products.

Broad incumbents

• Wood Mackenzie: Global research and consultancy covering energy, chemicals, and materials. Adjacent competitor with broader subscription research that overlaps with PIE's polymer and feedstock intelligence.
• S&P Global Commodity Insights (formerly Platts): Global benchmark price reporting across energy, petrochemicals, and commodities including polymers. Overlaps PIE in polymer pricing but operates as a multi-commodity incumbent with much broader scale.
• Bloomberg Commodity Intelligence: Enterprise commodity data, pricing, and analytics inside the Bloomberg Terminal ecosystem. Adjacent incumbent competing for the same enterprise procurement and trading buyers that PIE serves.

Emerging players

• ChemAnalyst: Digital commodity price intelligence platform covering petrochemicals and polymers. Emerging data-first competitor with global ambition and a lower-cost online delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plastics Information Europe