Chemicals Industry

Polyethylene (PE)

Republic Services to build plastics processing, production center in Indianapolis, starting up in 2024; complex to consist of Polymer Center, Blue Polymers recycled polymer production facility, providing food-grade recycled PP, PET, HDPE
Industry Intelligence Inc. (10/30)

Berry Global announces it is uniting its global range of PE lamination films under its Entour film brand; the move involves renaming the company's European ‘FormiForLAM’ product to Entour films
Berry Global Group Inc. (10/30)

Polypropylene (PP)

Quadpack’s new 12.5ml ShapeUp Stick dispenses high-viscosity skincare and makeup formulas in a personalized shape, including a logo, symbol or geometric pattern that adds meaning and helps tell a story; the PP pack is refillable, recyclable
Quadpack Industries SA (10/30)

Polyesters / Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

Axens, IFPEN and JEPLAN to start-up operation of Rewind PET semi-industrial unit in Kitakyushu, Japan, for chemical recycling of PET; Rewind process involves continuous depolymerization of PET by glycolysis, then deep purification of obtained BHET monomer
Contify Energy News (10/30)

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Freedonia sees US demand for PVC resin growing 1.5%/year in volume through 2027, driven by rising building products shipments, expanding manufacturing, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; however, health and environmental concerns could impact gains
The Freedonia Group Inc. (10/27)

Polymers / Resins

Evonik expands elastomeric materials portfolio for 3D printing with launch of INFINAM TPA 4006 P; new grade will be presented at the Formnext trade show in Germany
Evonik Industries AG (10/30)

Sohar Port and Freezone signs agreement with Universal Fine Chemicals SPC to set up a US$300M polymer manufacturing plant in Muscat, Oman; venture will cater to multiple industries across the Middle East, Americas and Europe
Times of Oman (10/30)

Styrene

Trinseo to discontinue operations at its ethylbenzene styrene monomer manufacturing facility in Terneuzen, Netherlands, under restructuring and cost-saving efforts; company will purchase its styrene supplies from third parties
Business Wire (10/30)

No Toxics in Food Packaging Act introduced to US Congress, proposing a ban on BPA, PFAS, ortho-phthalates, styrene, and antimony trioxide in food packaging and processing materials
Congressional Documents & Publications (10/27)

Coatings & Primers

Latest research by a professor at Oregon State University's Dept. of Food Science and Technology has focused on edible packaging, coatings and the conversion of biological waste into compostable packaging
Daily Barometer, The (Oregon State University) (Corvallis, OR) (10/30)

DITF is developing lignin-based protective coating for geotextiles used in civil engineering; biodegradable coating could extend service life of geotextiles which use decomposable fibers rather than non-degradable synthetics
Texination GmbH (10/27)

Ink / Inks

Sun Chemical to showcase natural colorants range at Food Ingredients Europe 2023, highlighting newly SUNFOODS products and iron oxides; company also to showcase nutrition-focused offerings, including spirulina supplements and edible inks
Sun Chemical Group Cooperatief UA (10/30)

Films / Sheets

Maxcess brand Webex releases Electric HTR Roller for high-temperature applications across multiple industries, from nonwoven calendaring to film micro-embossing; roller offers even heat profile, multiple heating zones, fast ramp-up time, energy efficiency
Maxcess International Inc. (10/30)

Berry Global facility in Steinfeld, Germany, is collaborating with Haver & Boecker to create a closed-loop system; residual NorDiVent bag film from test runs of Haver & Boecker ADAMS filling machines are collected, used to manufacture new tubular film
Berry Global Group Inc. (10/30)

Plastics

Plastics Europe, with Borealis as a member, initiates The Plastics Transition, a roadmap for transforming Europe's plastics system towards net-zero emissions, material circularity; roadmap projects substitution of up to 65% of fossil-based plastic by 2050
Borealis AG (10/30)

US Senate subcommittee hearing investigates material alternatives for single-use plastic items and packaging; Oregon's Sen. Merkley calls single-use plastics a 'design flaw' and inherently wasteful, says chemical recycling does not offer viable solution
Congressional Documents & Publications (10/27)

Plastic Packaging

Neopac unveils 10mm CR-Tube child resistant tube and other sustainable packaging innovations for the pharmaceutical and personal care industries at CPhI Barcelona; company highlights RecyClass A rating for its Polyfoil MMB tube range
Hoffmann Neopac AG (10/27)

Cosmetic & Personal Care Ingredients

Clariant to acquire Lucas Meyer Cosmetics from IFF for US$810M, increasing reach in high-value cosmetic ingredients space and in North America; deal closure is expected in Q1 2024
GlobeNewswire Europe (10/30)

Finland's Lumene launches Nordic-C [Valo] Triple Glow Radiance Elixir, a serum with bio-engineered arctic cloudberry stem cell extract, vitamins C and E, encapsulated ferulic acid; brand's products use upcycled Nordic ingredients powered by arctic light
CosmeticsDesign.com (US) (10/27)

Food & Beverage Ingredients

Isobionics, a BASF Aroma Ingredients brand, launches two new natural flavor products, Isobionics Natural alpha-Bisabolene 98 and Natural (-)-alpha-Bisabolol 99; additions offer unique flavor profiles, produced using fermentation technology
BASF SE (10/30)

Nutraceutical Ingredients & Products

Nutraceutical company Wonderfeel announces Wonderfeel Youngr pouch, which is fully biodegradable and recyclable; pouch will be integrated into company's ongoing subscription refill program and is crafted with SPTek ECLIPSE recyclable material
PR Newswire (10/30)

dsm-firmenich partners with Italian botanical supplier Indena to develop health solutions focused on specific health areas such as immunity, gut health; initiative emphasizes sustainability in creation of dietary supplements
FoodNavigator.com (10/27)

Fertilizers & Plant Nutrients

Mexico registers record volume import of fertilizers in first nine months of 2023, totaling 3.6 million tons, up 29.8% from year-ago period; value falls 41.2% to US$1.51B
CE Noticias Financieras (Latin America) (10/30)

Flavors, Fragrances & Scents

Vilhelm Parfumerie releases new fragrance, Back To The Roots, featuring notes of angelica, galbanum, petitgrain, ambrette seeds and more; the scent is available in 3x10, 50 or 100 ml eau de parfum
Industry Intelligence Inc. (10/30)

The 7 Virtues introduces Cherry Ambition, a sustainable gourmand fragrance with opening notes of cherry, sandalwood and upcycled cognac; the scent is now available at Sephora in 50 ml eau de parfum or 11 ml rollerball
Industry Intelligence Inc. (10/30)

Paints

Axalta Coating Systems becomes exclusive supplier for BMW Group’s private paint label ColorSystem across 15 European countries and South Africa, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 45% in over 730 collision repair shops
GlobeNewswire (10/27)

Pigments & Dyes

Study designs smart food packaging indicator using polyacrylamide hydrogel with bromocresol green; indicator changes color in response to basic nitrogen from packaged fish: Ningbo University, Zhejiang Pharmaceutical University
MDPI Journal: Foods (10/30)

Silicon, Silicone & Silicate

Jabil Invests in the Future of AI with Intel Silicon Photonics Transceiver Deal
Associated Press (10/30)

Synthetic Fibers

Ahlstrom opens new US$68M filtration materials facility in Madisonville, Kentucky, creating more than 50 full-time jobs; facility to produce filtration for automotive, industrial applications, including glass fiber tissue material
US Official News (10/27)

Nonwoven

Suominen swings to July-September profit of €800,000 from year-ago loss of €400,000, net sales down to €106.4M from year ago's €131.9M, North American sales at €70.9M, European sales at €35.6M; company sees positive signs for 2024 business
Suominen Corp. (10/27)

Superabsorbent Polymers

Karlsruhe Institute researchers discover UV light can degrade superabsorbers from diapers, other hygiene products 200 times faster than strong acids after uptake of water; team also used known processes to convert the liquid into new adhesives and dyes
Eurasia Review (10/30)

Fabrics / Textiles

Essity's Tork launches new 2-in-1 Scouring & Cleaning Cloth
Foodservice Packaging Assn. (via LinkedIn) (10/30)

Latest: Oct, 30 2023