The $5 trillion chemical industry plays a pivotal role in the global economy, serving as the foundation for countless sectors from paints to plastics that rely on its products and processes. With a rich history of innovation, chemical companies are well-positioned to lead the charge on decarbonization.
Evonik announced that it is significantly expanding its commitment to developing solutions for the circular economy, bundling its activities in the group-wide Circular Economy Program. From 2030, the German specialty chemicals company aims to generate at least €1 billion in additional sales per year from circular products and technologies.
Sasol Chemicals, a division of Sasol Ltd., and Solugen have unveiled a partnership to investigate the development of innovative solutions to address the increasing consumer need for eco-friendly ingredients in household and personal care items.
The 7th edition of the CPHI Annual Survey was unveiled today highlighting trends for 2024. A total of 250 pharmaceutical executives were surveyed with 35 probing questions, with their answers informing the industry landscape for the next year, spanning all major pharma markets.
Malaysia’s leading integrated chemicals producer Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG), part of Petronas group, has reached the final investment decision (FID) to construct an advanced chemical recycling plant with a capacity of 33 kt/a. The plant, to be built in Pengerang, Johor, is the largest of its kind in Asia, said Petronas, and is expected to be operational in the first half of 2026.
In response to the urgent need for sustainable solutions in the surfactants industry, companies like Locus Ingredients are developing environmentally friendly biosurfactants.
In the dynamic realm of the chemical industry, surfactants serve as indispensable components with versatile applications, particularly in the home and personal care sector.
In this interview, Christene Smith sits down with Anne Lamp, the CEO & Co-Founder of Traceless Materials, to delve into the groundbreaking world of natural biopolymer materials.
Ecovyst, a specialty catalyst and sulfuric acid recycling provider, announced today that Colleen Grace Donofrio has been appointed as its Vice President – Environment and Sustainability.
ExxonMobil has acquired Denbury, a carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and enhanced oil recovery company. The all-stock transaction is valued at €4.5 billion.
BP will develop two offshore wind projects as its entry into Europe's offshore wind market. The North Sea sites, with a 4GW total potential generating capacity, will be located 130 and 150 km offshore at 40 m depths.
For Siegfried, sustainability is much more than a phrase with a green coating. The term, which encompasses social and economic criteria in addition to ecological aspects, is one of five central corporate values. One of the biggest levers for reducing energy and resource consumption in the pharma supply chain lies in the efficient production of active ingredients and pharmaceuticals. The company therefore works consistently on optimizing its processes.
Climate change, energy crisis, the call for a more environmentally compatible production method and socially responsible action do not stop at the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Sustainability is becoming a central competitive and reputation factor and carries a high economic value. This need not be to the industry´s disadvantage. It helps companies to make processes more efficient, reduces energy consumption and keeps costs in check. But is the pharmaceutical industry already doing enough in this regard?
In what it calls another major step toward implementing its sustainability strategy, Germany’s Merck has signed a 16-year, off-site, virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Recurrent Energy for its Liberty County Solar project northeast of Houston Texas, in the US.
Interview with Annegret Vester, Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), CHT Germany
Companies in the materials industry – including chemical companies – are seeing a revolution that is likely to drive a new wave of growth. To succeed, however, they will need to rethink their value chains, expand manufacturing in the region, and take advantage of digitally powered approaches to innovation.
LyondellBasell has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mepol Group, a manufacturer of recycled, high-performing engineering compounds based in Italy and Poland.
Granules India, a Hyderabad-based pharma company, is partnering compatriot clean energy company Greenko ZeroC to develop green zones for the sustainable manufacture of drugs and their intermediates.
Given the challenges the pharmaceutical industry is facing – secure material supply, reduce operation cost and increase flexibility, enhance sustainability and safety, innovate and reduce time-to-market – the sector is poised for a breakthrough of flow chemistry.
Numerous crises such as climate change, energy shortages, raw material shortages, war in Ukraine and the consequences of the pandemic are putting value chains worldwide to the test.
The current crisis, exacerbated by the economic downturn and war in Ukraine, can be an opportunity to reduce dependence on fossil feedstocks and explore sustainable alternatives.
ExxonMobil, LyondellBasell and Cyclyx International have agreed to jointly establish a plastic waste sorting and processing facility in Houston, Texas, USA, providing feedstock for both mechanical and advanced recycling technologies.
The chemicals industry is one of the world’s largest industrial sectors, worth €3,471 billion in 2020. It includes producers of industrial chemicals, polymers, pesticides, food and feed additives, and cosmetics, and is growing rapidly. By some estimates it will reach almost $22,000 billion by 2060.
Solvay has announced plans to expand its rare earths operations in La Rochelle, France, in order to enter the permanent magnets sector in Europe and serve customers in the fast-growing electric vehicle, wind power and electronics markets.
Finnish oil refiner Neste has launched a study on transforming its Porvoo facility to renewables and circular feedstocks, ending crude oil refining in the mid-2030s.
In its drive to become a climate-neutral company, Germany-based oxo-chemicals specialist OQ Chemical has announced it will switch all of its worldwide production sites to run on electricity from renewable sources in the medium term.
Major Brazilian chemical company Unigel is planning to invest $120 million in developing a site for green hydrogen production.
Air Products is strengthening its sustainability goals, pledging to allot at least $4 billion in fresh capital for the transition to clean energy over the next five years. This builds on the more than $11 billion already commited to real zero- and low-carbon hydrogen projects.
Shell Chemicals has announced it will earmark “billions of euros” from its current capital spending budget to make production assets more sustainable as it works to achieve net zero emissions by 2032.
Project Air, a production facility for sustainable methanol in Stenungsund, Sweden, described by the project’s partners Perstorp, Fortum and Uniper as “unique,” has been selected as one of 17 large-scale “green tech” projects that will share more than €1.8 billion in aid from the EU Innovation Fund.
Clariant is restructuring its business and leadership to position itself for long-term sustainable growth and implement a cultural transformation.
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.
Dorothee Arns, Director General of FECC, discusses current challenges, market trends and her vision for the chemical distribution industry in Europe. The interview was conducted by Michael Reubold and Ralf Kempf.
After making “good progress”, both strategically and financially, in the recent past, the next phase in Evonik’s drive toward enhanced business growth will see it execute “targeted and massive investments” in green chemistry and establish sustainability as its central innovation driver, CEO Christian Kullmann said at the company’s Capital Markets Day.
For its annual report "Value Creation in Chemicals 2021 – Ten Years of Steady Growth – and a Few Superstars," the strategy consultancy Boston Consulting Group examined the performance of leading international chemical companies from 2011 to 2020. The long-term perspective shows that the industry has mastered serious market downturns with astonishing confidence.
