Neste and LG Chem have entered into a strategic long-term partnership under which LG Chem will use Neste’s renewable hydrocarbons instead of fossil feedstock for producing sustainable polymers and chemicals.

Cefic’s quarterly report has stated that chemical output in the EU27 dropped by 4.4 % from January to September 2020 compared to the previous year’s level. It also revealed that the global chemical output declined by 1.8 % in the first three quarters of 2020 compared to the same period of 2019.

Arkema has started up its new capacity i.e. 50 % for Kynar fluoropolymer production at its Changshu facility in China to meet the growing demands of the lithium-ion battery business. The fluoropolymer materials can be used as electrode binders and separator coatings in high performance batteries for electric vehicles and consumer electronics devices.

Sinopec has entered into a strategic cooperation with three leading institutions in order to carry out a joint research on carbon emissions peak and carbon neutral in the energy and chemical industry. The company is also promoting the recovery and utilisation of CO2 from refining and chemical enterprises.

The American start-up company Adaptive 3D develops premium polymer resins for additive manufacturing. Arkema’s investment in the firm will complement the company’s expertise in UV liquid resin material design and its commitment to accelerate 3D printing manufacturing technology development.

Under the collaboration agreement, Repsol will supply circular styrene with ISCC Plus certification to Elix Polymers in order to produce high-performance technical polymers. Both the companies will also work together to promote circular materials in diverse products across numerous industries.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has stated that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes increased 1.2 % in October, up from a revised 0.1 % gain in September and 1.1 % gain in August.

Mitsui Chemicals announced that it has completed the construction of a new plant to produce Lucant, a series of hydrocarbon-based synthetic fluid, at its Ichihara Works in Ichihara, Japan.

Under the new strategic partnership, Sanitized antimicrobial polymer additives will be marketed in Italy by Ferro-Plast, its new sales partner. This move is expected to benefit the Italian plastic industry.

Under a pilot project, Sabic has teamed up with Europe’s largest retail store operator, Schwarz Group, to use bags made from Sabic’s Trucircle certified circular polymers. The project aims to make plastic packaging for all Lidl and Kaufland stores recyclable by 2025, thus reducing the overall plastic consumption by 20 %.