Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Chemicals invests in training despite the crisis
Following last year's record figure, the expected consolidation of training figures in the chemical-pharmaceutical industry is now taking place: companies are adjusting their training offer for 2025 to the current economic conditions with 8,779 training
ECHA observes a fall in hazardous chemicals trade in 2024
ECHA’s annual report on exports and imports of chemicals that are banned or severely restricted in the EU shows that substances containing benzene accounted for approximately 51% (1.1 million tonnes) of total exports and 99%
Photovoltaics: Molecular fine-tuning increases the efficiency of tandem solar cells
Perovskite silicon tandem solar cells are considered a key technology for photovoltaics. Their structure allows sunlight to be used more efficiently than with conventional silicon cells: While the upper perovskite layer absorbs the high-energy blue
Plant status: China’s Qingdao Haiwan cuts epoxy resins run rate to 50%
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Qingdao Haiwan Group Location: Qingdao, Shandong, China Product: Epoxy resins Capacity (tonnes/year): 150,000 Event start: Late November 2025...
Plant status: China’s Chongqing Jianfeng shuts melamine unit for maintenance
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Chongqing Jianfeng Industrial Group Location: Chongqing, China Product: Melamine Capacity (tonnes/year): 60,000 (total of two lines) Event...
Asia fatty alcohols mid-cuts C12-14 discussions stalled by wide buy-sell indications
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia’s fatty alcohols market is likely to experience limited trade in the near term, as buyers and sellers are far apart in their price indications amid the year-end holiday lull...
AI flexes its protein design muscles for harsh environments
‘Creative architect’ can produce proteins that are four times stronger than natural counterparts
India November exports rise 19.4%, trade deficit narrows to $24.5 billion
MUMBAI (ICIS)--India’s goods exports in November grew by 19.4% year on year to $38.13 billion, while the trade deficit for the month narrowed to $24.5 billion on strong exports and a sharp decline...
PODCAST: CEE gas transmission tariff dilemma needs visionary approach
LONDON (ICIS)--The loss of Russian gas imports, associated long-term capacity bookings and the reversal of gas flows in central and eastern Europe have led to soaring transmission tariffs and...
US fertilizers interactive trade flow map January-August 2025
LONDON (ICIS)--The US Census Bureau has released fertilizer import and export data for January-August 2025. Please select a product from the drop-down menu...
OQEMA inks central, eastern European distribution deal with BASF
LONDON (ICIS)--OQEMA has agreed a deal to distribute BASF’s polymer dispersions and additives for paints and coatings in parts of central and eastern Europe, the distributor said on Monday. The...
Trump administration defies EU to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash industry
LONDON (ICIS)--US sanctions on Belarus’s muriate of potash (MOP) industry are to be lifted as part of a diplomatic deal securing the release of 123 political prisoners detained by the Lukashenko...
Europe MPG and DPG spot prices steady amid waning demand
LONDON (ICIS)--Prices in the European monopropylene glycol (MPG) spot market remained steady in the week ending 12 December, at both ends of the range. Dipropylene glycol (DPG) spot prices also...
Europe acetic acid spot truck pricing softens, December contract talks continue
LONDON (ICIS)--December contract price talks are progressing on the European acetic acid market, with some early settlements already fixed. Spot prices for trucks have softened by €50/tonne to...
Plant status: China’s Satellite Chemical restarts 2-EH plant
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Satellite Chemical Location: Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China Product: 2-ethylhexanol (2-EH) Capacity (tonnes/year): 180,000 Event start: 1 December...
INSIGHT: Global MMA market faces another year of headwinds in 2026
LONDON (ICIS)--Global methyl methacrylate (MMA) markets are heading towards 2026 with persistent headwinds and little sign of a major turnaround. Across regions, supply adjustments and economic...
Chile elects far-right Kast as president with nearly 60% of votes
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Chilean voters elected far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast as President on Sunday’s run-off election with a wide margin over his far-left opponent. With nearly 100% of votes...
ICIS WHITEPAPER: Russia’s quest to reach gas markets from Kazakhstan to Turkey
LONDON (ICIS)--After losing most of its European gas market share, Russia pivoted east, in search of new consumers. China was an obvious target but as its big-ticket expansion projects are yet to...
HYDROGEN: RED III Transport Obligations, Germany
LONDON (ICIS)--On 10 December 2025, the German federal cabinet approved a revised draft bill for the further development of the greenhouse gas reduction quota (GHG quota), known in German as the...
Transatlantic west chemical tanker spot rates up on seasonal activity rise
LONDON (ICIS)--Chemical tanker spot freight rates on transatlantic westbound routes rose in the week ending 12 December compared with the previous week, based on market feedback. The move in ICIS...