TORONTO (ICIS)–Canada’s chemical industry is concerned about the impacts from a legislative amendment to address “greenwashing”, an industry executive said on Friday. The amendment to the Competition Act, contained in an omnibus bill, seeks to address claims about the environmental benefits of products. Importantly, it also seeks to address claims about the environmental benefits of […]

SAO PAULO (ICIS)–Chile remains at the forefront of restrictive plastics regulations in Latin America as the whole political spectrum tries to capitalize in rules which resonate with public opinion, according to the CEO at the country’s trade group Asipla. Magdalena Balcells added that, however, the regulations have prompted a larger push for sustainability among companies […]

SAO PAULO (ICIS)–Proposals to sharply increase chemicals import tariffs are only one of the three aspects Brazil’s chemicals producers have proposed to the government to save their “besieged” operations, according to the CEO at trade group Abiquim. Andre Passos added that the industry has also proposed to the government a structural plan to reduce natural […]

LONDON(ICIS)–European downstream demand remains low due to inflation and high interest rates. Add logistics issues and a continuous flow of imports to that, and the doom of European petrochemical industry begins. But with the recent reduction in interest rates by ECB and increased tariffs on Asian EVs, there is hope that the acetone and phenol […]

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Rates for shipping containers continue to surge as carriers are implementing peak season surcharges while capacity remains tight from Red Sea diversions, but some shipping analysts think there are signs that the dramatic rate of growth may be slowing, which leads off this week’s logistics roundup.     Published by: www.icis.com Adam Yanelli 14-Jun-2024

LONDON (ICIS)–Celanese has declared force majeure on acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) in the “Western Hemisphere”, which is understood to include the Americas and the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. The producer attributed the force majeure declaration to “operational failures experienced by multiple suppliers of critical raw materials essential to Celanese’s production […]

LONDON (ICIS)–Average yearly recycled polypropylene (R-PP) post-industrial black bale values in 2024 to date are at their lowest level on record on the back of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on key end-use sectors such as construction and horticulture. May monthly average post-industrial black bale prices in 2024 reached the lowest level seen in […]

SAO PAULO (ICIS)–Petrochemicals producers in the production hub of Altamira, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, keep declaring force majeure as a severe drought halved water supplies to industrial players. On Thursday, a spokesperson for Cabot said to ICIS the company has also declared force majeure for carbon black from its Altamira facilities, which adds […]

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Brazil producer Petrobras announced that its executive board has approved the resumption of operating activities of the fertilizer plant Araucaria Nitrogenados in the state of Parana. The plant has been mothballed since 2020 and the producer said it is now expected to be restarted in the second half of 2025. Located next to the […]

LONDON (ICIS)–Business momentum in the eurozone hit the highest level in 12 months in May, pushing further into growth territory as service sector orders surged and the manufacturing industry showed signs of recovery. The eurozone composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 52.2 during the month compared to 51.7 in April as stronger demand buoyed […]