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Croda Wins US Backing for Lipid Systems Expansion

UK specialty chemical company Croda International will receive up to $75 million from the US government to expand its US capacity to produce ingredients for lipid systems used in novel therapeutic drugs, such as mRNA vaccines.

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US Supreme Court Challenges EPA Role in Climate Rules

The mission of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under US president Joe Biden for the past 18 months has been to restore some of the Obama era anti-pollution regulations overturned by the former president Donald Trump.

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ExxonMobil and Shell Study China CCS Project

Energy and petrochemical giants ExxonMobil and Shell have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CNOOC and the Guangdong Provincial Development & Reform Commission in China to evaluate the potential for a world-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project.

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Solvay Progressing Fluorosurfactant Phase-out

Solvay is completely phasing out the use of fluorosurfactants across its global production platforms up to 2026. In its latest step, the Belgian chemical giant said it will be able to produce nearly 100% of its fluoropolymers without fluorosurfactants at its Spinetta Marengo, Italy, site by that date.

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Sharon McGuiness new ECHA Chief Executive

Sharon McGuinness has been appointed to a five-year term as the new executive director of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the body that administrates the REACH chemicals legislation.

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Merck Germany Doubles HPAPI Potential

The Life Science business segment of German pharmaceuticals, chemicals and life sciences group Merck has widened its US plant for high-potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) at Verona, near Madison, Wisconsin to 6,500 m2.

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IMCD Expands in China with Welex Buy

IMCD China, part of Netherlands-headquartered multinational chemicals distributor IMCD, has agreed to take over specialty distribution company Welex, boosting its footprint in China.

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BASF to Build Battery Recycling Plant at Schwarzheide

German chemical giant BASF has announced it will build a commercial scale battery recycling black mass plant in at its Schwarzheide, Germany, site, strengthening the location’s activities in production and recycling of cathode active materials (CAM).

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Qatar Awards first North Field Contracts

The emirate of Qatar has begun signing agreements with US and European energy majors for the country’s planned $30 billion expansion of its North Field, which is believed to harbor the world’s largest natural gas reserves. TotalEnergies is taking the top slot.

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Unilever and Genomatica Partner on Plant-based Ingredients

Consumer goods giant Unilever and biotech specialist Genomatica are to jointly invest $120 million in a new venture to commercialize plant-based alternatives to feedstocks such as palm oil and fossil fuels used in cleansers for home care, beauty and personal care products.

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Expansion at SK Biotek API Plant to Cost $35 Miilion

South Korean CDMO SK Pharmteco (SKTP) said it will spend $35 million on the initial phase of a planned expansion at the Dublin, Ireland, API site the conglomerate acquired from Bristol Myers Squibb in 2017. Prior to that, SK had been a BMS supplier for around a decade.

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BASF Shanshan Expanding Battery Materials Output

BASF Shanshan Battery Materials (BSBM), a 51:49 joint venture of the German chemical giant and China’s Hunan Shanshan Energy, is expanding its battery materials capacity in China’s Changsha, Hunan Province, and Shuizuishan, Ningxia Province, to meet the fast-growing local and global demands of the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

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Perstorp Starts Switch to Sustainable Polyols

Swedish chemical producer Perstorp is making strides toward its sustainability goals following its mid-May announcement that it will be acquired by Malaysian petrochemicals giant Petronas Group (PCG) for €1.54 billion.

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Supreme Court Quiet on Bayer’s Roundup Petition

Despite the expectations of many, given the broad coverage in media of all types – and the case’s mention on the docket for Jun. 13 – the US Supreme Court has remained silent on whether or not it will hear Bayer’s petition on packaging labels for Monsanto’s glyphosate-based Roundup herbicide.

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Curia and Replicate Bioscience Link on sRNA

Research-oriented CDMO Curia, formerly known as AMRI, has agreed to cooperate with Replicate Bioscience, a company searching for ways to prevent drug resistance in cancer and to treat autoimmune and inflammatory disorders and other diseases using self-replicating RNA (srRNA).

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New PAO Plant for CPChem in Belgium

Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem) is planning to build a new polyalphaolefins (PAO) plant in Beringen, Belgium, to meet growing demand. The “significant investment” will see the company’s PAO capacity in Belgium double to 120,000 t/y when it starts up in 2024.

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The State of the US Specialty Chemicals Industry
Reshaping Specialty Chemicals Manufacturing

The State of the US Specialty Chemicals Industry

SOCMA's Jenn Klein examines how specialty chemical manufacturers — the invisible backbone behind pharmaceuticals, electronics, agriculture, and energy — are navigating supply chain shifts, policy uncertainty, and constant change while remaining resilient, disciplined, and focused on execution.