NEWS IN BRIEF...
US bioplastics producer Danimer Scientific has filed for Chapter 11 protection at the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, citing stalled customer commit- ments, liquidity issues, and underutilised production capacity. It says it now plans to sell assets and wind down operations.
https://danimerscientific.com
SCIL has completed the acquisition of Heubach, bringing together its operational know-how and expertise with the German company’s technological capabilities. The strategic acquisition creates an enlarged global pigment group and enhances SCIL’s product portfolio, giving it access to assets at 19 international sites.
https://heubach.com
UK pigment and additive manufacturer Venator has rolled out the Eviden Product Carbon Footprint Platform, which provides full automation of the PCF calculation across its portfolio and enables the company to deliver accurate data on the carbon footprint of its products to its customers.
www.venatorcorp.com
Syensqo and Vartega collaborate in rCF
Syensqo and carbon fibre recycler Vartega are collabo- rating to create an ecosys- tem to foster the use of post-industrial recycled carbon fibre products in high performance applications. “Syensqo’s leader- ship in sustainable composites is demonstrat- ed through their efforts to incorporate renewable feedstocks and reduce composites waste as evidenced through this collaboration,” said Andrew Maxey, CEO of Vartega. “Vartega makes this possible by giving compos- ites waste a second life
Vartega EasyFeed Bundles recycled chopped carbon fibre for compounding
waste from its North American sites into Vartega’s high-quality carbon fibre EasyFeed Bundles. The EasyFeed material
will be integrated into
while enabling a significant reduction to the product carbon footprint.” The partnership will
leverage Vartega’s process to convert Syensqo’s dry carbon fibre and prepreg
Syensqo’s ECHO carbon fibre reinforced specialty polymers portfolio, which is used in the automotive industry. Typical examples are structural parts, damp- ening rings, and transmis- sion-related applications. �
www.syensqo.com �
www.vartega.com
BASF sales decline by 5%
Full year 2024 figures from chemical giant BASF Group show a 5% decline in total sales amounting to €65.3bn compared to €68.9bn in 2023, while EBITDA was €6.7bn, compared to €7.2bn in 2023. The company said that in
its core businesses, EBITDA before special items grew significantly, primarily due to higher volumes. But this
was offset by a decline in its standalone businesses attributed to competitive pressures. Profit after taxes and non-controlling interests amounted to €1.3bn compared to €225m in 2023, while income from investments increased to €598m. This was primarily due to higher earnings contributions from non-
integral investments. “We are well on track to achieve the targeted annual savings of €2.1bn by the end of 2026,” said Dirk Elvermann, CFO. By the end of 2024, the group had achieved €1bn savings, of which around €100m was attributable to the cost-sav- ing program for its Ludwig- shafen complex in Germany. �
www.basf.com
LyondellBasell and Covestro close Dutch unit
LyondellBasell (LYB) and Covestro are to permanently close the propylene oxide styrene and monomer (POSM) production unit (PO11) at the Maasv- lakte site in the Netherlands, which has been operational since 2003. The companies say the decision is
10 COMPOUNDING WORLD | April 2025
driven by the continued pressure on Maasvlakte’s profitability due to market overcapacity, a strong increase of imports from Asia, and high costs of European production. “Due to global overcapacities, persistently weak demand, and high
costs in Europe, we have jointly decided with LYB to close the PO11 plant,” said Hermann-Josef Dörholt, head of the Performance Materials Business Entity at Covestro. �
www.lyondellbasell.com �
www.covestro.com
www.compoundingworld.com
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