Chembull, 19/F, Lunjiang building, No. 378, Lingjiang Road, Beilun District, Ningbo (2026)

21/09/2026

16 September 2026 – ENGEL Group, a world-leading manufacturer of injection moulding machines, is expanding its global production network. By setting up a production site in Kikinda, Serbia, the family-owned enterprise is not only boosting its competitiveness but also securing a long-term efficient value chain within Europe. Customers especially in European and American markets will benefit from shorter delivery lead times and higher supply reliability.

The new production site in Serbia forms part of ENGEL’s strategic reorganisation of its European manufacturing footprint. The core initiative involves relocating mechanical manufacturing operations to fully leverage international locational advantages and build a more resilient European supply chain. In its first phase, the 13,000-square-metre plant in Kikinda, Serbia, will specialise in producing machined components. Approximately 150 employees are planned to be recruited within the initial three years. This move will free up capacity at ENGEL’s Austrian factories, allowing them to focus on more demanding customised system solutions for customers.

Stefan Engleder, CEO of ENGEL, commented: “The new Kikinda production site complements our existing factories across Europe. It delivers improved cost-effectiveness and greater flexibility compared with direct sourcing from Asia. Our Austrian plants will be able to allocate more resources to our core strength: highly complex, tailor-made system solutions that see strong global market demand.”

Kikinda features a highly skilled workforce and decades-developed industrial infrastructure, advantages that enable seamless integration into ENGEL’s existing European production network. Peter Jungwirth will serve as Managing Director of ENGEL Serbia, alongside his role as Commercial Director of the Kaplice site in the Czech Republic. Senior ENGEL employees from Austria will train local teams to ensure knowledge transfer in line with the company’s globally unified quality standards. For customers operating in European and American markets, this expansion of the production network translates to a more resilient supply base, mitigating risks stemming from lengthy long-haul transportation and disruptions to international supply chains.

07/09/2026

On September 3, BASF completed the modernisation upgrade of its acid chloride and chloroformate production plant at the Ludwigshafen Verbund site in Germany. The multi‑hundred‑million‑euro investment raises the site’s relevant production capacity by around 30%.

As a leading global manufacturer of acid chlorides and chloroformates, BASF operates production hubs in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Yeosu, South Korea. Since 2025, 25 related products manufactured at the Ludwigshafen site — including their entire upstream raw material chains — have been produced using renewable electricity, cutting the average product carbon footprint by 19%. Serving as critical intermediates for pharmaceuticals, crop protection, coatings, plastics and rubber, the expanded capacity will better meet rising global market demand and secure stable supply chains.

BASF posted global sales of approximately €60 billion in 2025. Its portfolio spans core divisions including Chemicals and Materials, Nutrition & Care, as well as standalone segments such as Surface Treatment and Agricultural Solutions. The group has recently accelerated project ex*****on across the board to strengthen its industrial competitiveness.

1.Joint initiative for a tyre circular‑economy project Partnering with Pirelli, Pyrum and Synthos, BASF has launched a “tyre‑to‑tyre” circular‑economy project in Europe. Drawing on local end‑of‑life tyre resources in Germany, the industrial closed‑loop technology converts waste tyres into secondary feedstocks such as synthetic rubber. Eligible for ISCC PLUS certification, the output significantly raises the share of recycled materials and builds a greener circular industrial ecosystem.

2.Nine‑figure upgrade for key overseas logistics terminal In August, BASF kicked off a terminal upgrade project in Ludwigshafen with an investment exceeding €100 million, supported by a €51 million grant from the German federal government. Scheduled for completion in 2028, the scheme expands the integrated transport hub and shifts more freight volumes to rail transport. Designed to mitigate volatility in Rhine river shipping, the upgrade will optimise the site’s logistics network and stabilise raw‑material supply for the overseas manufacturing base.

3.Deeper engagement in China: digitalisation and low‑carbon development BASF’s senior management recently visited its China Digital Hub and the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation (CPCIF). Discussions covered market growth opportunities in China and digital innovation for business empowerment. The talks also aligned with China’s 15th Five‑Year Plan for the petrochemical sector. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation on industrial policy coordination, low‑carbon technologies and mutual recognition of carbon‑footprint accounting standards, further anchoring BASF’s long‑term commitment to the Chinese market.

4.First carbon‑neutral EVA product commercially launched In August, BASF‑YPC rolled out its first EVA product with a net‑zero product carbon footprint. From R&D to commercial delivery took only two months, with the first batch of 160 tonnes supplied to a key athletic footwear manufacturer. Certified under ISCC PLUS, the foam‑grade material helps downstream customers comply with global sustainability regulations.

5.New water‑based ink solves long‑standing industry challenges BASF has launched Joncryl® FLX 7258, a new water‑based ink engineered to address common pain points in flexible packaging and food tissue applications, such as heat‑seal resistance, ink blocking and poor weathering performance. The formulation delivers robust heat resistance, consistent adhesion and tolerance to alcohol dilution. It complies with regulations for indirect food contact and fits the industry shift toward low‑VOC, water‑borne and safer packaging materials.

04/09/2026

Daicel Corporation of Japan has decided to discontinue AS resin production at its Hirohata Plant in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, by the end of March 2028.

Against the backdrop of shifting demand structures and intensifying market competition, the business environment for its AS resin operation has grown increasingly challenging. Under such circumstances, the company is pushing forward with business portfolio reforms in line with its medium‑term strategy. After comprehensive evaluation of future business prospects and optimal allocation of management resources, Daicel has resolved to terminate AS resin production at the Hirohata Plant.

This shutdown plan, together with the previously announced transfer of shares in Toyo Styrene Co., Ltd., will be implemented as part of the structural adjustment for its styrene‑related businesses. Prior to the production halt, the company will make every effort to ensure stable supply for existing customers and properly coordinate relevant arrangements with all business partners.

04/09/2026

On September 2, 2026, Perstorp, a Swedish specialty chemicals giant under Malaysia's Petrochemical Group, officially announced that its Toledo production base in Ohio, USA, would permanently cease production and operation on September 2, 2026.

According to official website disclosures, the Toledo production base was built in 1976 and was operated by Perstorp Polyols Inc. before its closure. The production base mainly manufactures polyols and supporting chemical products including pentaerythritol (Penta), dipentaerythritol, trimethylolpropane (TMP), and sodium formate.

Notably, the production base houses the only domestic production units for pentaerythritol (Penta) and trimethylolpropane (TMP) in the United States.

Perstorp stated that this decision was made after a comprehensive evaluation of its global production network, aiming to concentrate production activities in fewer factories with superior strategic locations. This move is expected to build a more efficient production structure and continuously provide reliable product supply for customers in the United States and other markets.

Around 70% of Perstorp's US employees will be affected

The closure of this polyols production base has a significant impact on Perstorp's staffing structure in the United States. Approximately 70% of the company's US employees will be affected by this decision. The company stated that it will provide support for employees during the transition and manage the entire process in a safe, respectful and responsible manner.

Perstorp emphasized that despite the closure of the Toledo production base, the North American region remains crucial to its development goals. The company will continue to maintain a leading position in the field of specialty chemicals and serve customers and business partners across the United States.

The closure of the Toledo production base will not affect Perstorp's sales, customer service, planning or distribution functions in the United States. These businesses will continue to serve customers, and the company reaffirms its commitment to maintaining high-level service, product quality and reliable customer support.

03/09/2026

RCS Group announced the official start of construction on its new RCS Plastics plant in Werne, Germany. The project will expand the company's plastics recycling processing capacity and create the foundation for more closed-loop material cycles.

Covering 6.5 hectares and representing a total investment of €75 million, the site will become a standalone RCS Plastics facility with integrated production, logistics, administration, maintenance, and comprehensive service zones. The plant is designed to process HDPE bottle caps, polystyrene (PS), PET blister trays, and beverage bottles, producing high-quality recyclates suitable for a wide range of applications.

According to the group, the new facility will be able to process approximately 100,000 tonnes of plastic feedstocks annually. A key focus of the project is the research and production of high-quality recycled materials, including food-contact-grade recyclate derived from HDPE caps for use in food packaging.

"Developing food-grade HDPE recyclate is one of the major challenges facing our industry. We are specifically investing in innovative process R&D to open up new material cycles, enabling recycled materials to be used in even more applications," said Alexander Rimmer, Managing Director of the RCS Group.

On 28 August, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site, attended by company employees as well as representatives from politics, administrative bodies, and the business community. Guests included District Administrator Mario Löhr, Werne Mayor Lars Hübchen, Economic Development Officer Matthias Stiller, Wulf-Christian Ehrich of the Dortmund Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), Werne Planning Department Head Ralf Bülte, and representatives from construction partner Goldbeck.

The project has received collaborative support from local authorities, the regional government, and the city of Werne. The new plant is expected to create around 60 new jobs and offer 5 apprenticeship positions. Completion and commissioning are planned for late 2027 to early 2028.

In the same month, ALDI partnered with Arla Foods and Polytag on a project using UV marking technology to track the full recycling journey of milk bottles. The collaboration originally began in 2023, with wrap-around labels printed by Saica Flex using food-safe fluorescent inks supplied by Sun Chemical being applied to milk bottles at Arla's Oakthorpe facility.

Also in August, UK-based start-up ReVentas received funding from Scottish Enterprise (Scotland's national economic development agency) for a three-year period to develop solvent-based recycling technology, focusing on difficult-to-recycle plastics such as food packaging films. According to Scottish Enterprise, ReVentas's technology uses chemical solvents to dissolve waste plastics, filtering out colours, odours, and other impurities to produce polymers of near-virgin quality, which can be used directly in packaging, consumer goods, and automotive components.

02/09/2026

At the Plastics Recycling Show India 2026, Ganesh Karankal, Managing Director of Lindner India, highlighted the company’s ambition to tap into India’s growing demand for high-quality plastic recycling technologies.

Karankal noted that Lindner has already delivered around ten washing lines in India. With rising plastic consumption and mounting regulatory pressure on brands, he sees substantial room for further market growth. The composition of plastic waste varies greatly across different regions of India, and the material often contains high levels of contaminants. Over the past three years, Lindner has been conducting tests and adaptations on its washing systems to suit these complex local waste streams.

The company is also evaluating the potential of its Flexloop technology for the Indian market. Developed jointly by Lindner and Procter & Gamble, the technology is set to be trialled using locally sourced milk pouches and flexible oil packaging waste collected in India. A pilot plant in Austria is scheduled to start operations by the end of this year, where it will test various feedstocks from Lindner’s operations in different countries.

01/09/2026

On August 25, 2026, Etex Group and Austrotherm entered into exclusive negotiations regarding the proposed sale of Etex's XPS insulation business in France, Spain, Italy, and Germany. The transaction remains subject to customary approvals, including clearance from regulatory authorities.

Through the proposed divestiture of its XPS operations, Etex will further concentrate its insulation activities on glass wool, in line with its stated strategy. XPS represents a relatively small portion of Etex's overall insulation portfolio, and the sale is expected to streamline and optimise its industrial footprint. For Austrotherm, by contrast, XPS is a core technology and a strategic growth segment for the company.

31/08/2026

Envalior has entered into a partnership with Secara, a specialty polymer chemical recycling company based in Aachen, Germany, to depolymerize polyamide 6 (PA6) from automotive plastic waste.

The German materials company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Secara to test and validate the technical pathway for incorporating post-consumer recyclate (PCR) into its engineering materials.

Secara will employ catalytic depolymerization technology to recover high-purity caprolactam from automotive plastic waste. Envalior will then re-polymerize this monomer to produce recycled PA6 suitable for automotive applications, enabling a closed-loop circular system. The partners state that the caprolactam produced by Secara's technology can directly replace virgin material, allowing Envalior to make no changes to its existing virgin polyamide production equipment, product design, or qualification processes.

This collaboration comes as the EU's End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR) takes effect on August 13, 2026.

The regulation sets mandatory recycled plastic content requirements for new passenger cars and vans: from September 1, 2032, for each new type-approved vehicle, at least 15% by weight of the plastics used must come from recycled sources; from September 1, 2036, this minimum increases to 25%.

At least 20% of the recycled content target must be derived from plastics recovered from end-of-life vehicles, creating a closed-loop mandate: a minimum of 3% closed-loop recycled plastics in vehicles from September 2032, and 5% from September 2036. Only materials sourced from post-consumer waste can count toward the target, and reusable plastic automotive parts are also eligible. The requirements initially apply to M1 passenger cars and N1 light commercial vehicles.

Both mechanically and chemically recycled plastics can contribute to the mandatory targets. The regulation allows mass-balance accounting for chemical recycling, though specific accounting and verification methodologies have yet to be established. The European Commission must issue implementing acts by August 31, 2028, detailing the rules, including the allocation of chemically recycled materials to automotive production and compliance verification for recycled content targets.

"Circularity is one of the core transformations facing the automotive industry, and it can only be realized through deep collaboration across the entire value chain," said Christophe Cazabeau, Executive Vice President of High-Performance Materials at Envalior. "With Secara, we aim to explore scalable, high-performance closed-loop solutions well in advance, ensuring that Envalior can provide strong support to our customers by the time ELVR takes effect."

Technology Principle

Secara's technology targets engineering polymers such as polyamides and polycarbonates. The catalytic process uses a catalyst to break down long polymer chains into their original monomers at lower temperatures than conventional pyrolysis. The company claims the process can selectively recover polymers from mixed, contaminated waste streams containing impurities such as glass fibers, flame retardants, and various additives. Beyond caprolactam monomer, Secara can also recover glass fibers for reuse as fillers and reinforcements.

Envalior notes that many automotive plastics are difficult to return to high-demand applications through mechanical recycling alone, and this technology offers a recycling pathway for such materials.

"Due to technical and quality constraints, mechanical recycling alone cannot meet the closed-loop requirements for high-demand applications under the ELVR regulation," said Artur Völk, Head of Circular & Low Carbon Solutions at Envalior. "That is why Secara's chemical recycling approach holds great promise, as it can reconcile high material performance with regulatory compliance."

The two companies have been conducting joint R&D for approximately one year, focusing on balancing recycled caprolactam purity with the cost of the recycling process.

Secara currently operates a pilot plant at its Aachen headquarters. The company plans to complete a kiloton-scale demonstration plant by 2028 and achieve industrial-scale capacity of over 50,000 metric tons per year starting in 2031.

Envalior was formed through the merger of Lanxess' High-Performance Materials business and DSM's Engineering Materials business. The company aims to make its entire product portfolio available with bio-based or recycled raw materials by 2030.

29/08/2026

August 26, 2026 – Asahi Kasei Corporation announced that it has held a completion ceremony for a new coating line for Hipore™ wet-process lithium-ion battery (LIB) separators in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.

This new production line, based on the company’s investment decision made in 2023, represents the first step in building a wet-process separator supply system in North America. Built within an existing plant for Celgard® dry-process separators, the line is expected to commence commercial production in the second half of fiscal 2026. By increasing coating capacity, the company will expand supply of high-value-added separators, thereby strengthening its competitiveness.

The completion ceremony was attended by local government officials, as well as numerous project stakeholders, including Toyota Tsusho Corporation, which has entered into a capacity commitment agreement with Asahi Kasei for this line.

Although the current growth rate of electric vehicle (EV) demand in North America has moderated, the EV market is expected to maintain growth toward 2030 over the medium to long term. In addition, with the expanding application of energy storage systems (ESS), demand for LIBs is projected to continue growing across multiple sectors. Competition in the separator market remains intense, but the North American market environment is beginning to show signs of improvement. Meanwhile, efforts to build a stable LIB supply chain in the region are ongoing, and there is growing demand for suppliers capable of local separator production and flexible supply.

Asahi Kasei is also progressing smoothly with its wet-process separator plant in Canada. Combining the Charlotte coating line with the Canadian plant, the company will establish a North American wet-process separator supply system. Through these steps, the company aims to further strengthen its production base and market competitiveness in North America, capture future demand growth in the EV and ESS sectors, and achieve medium- to long-term business expansion and profit growth.

Ryu Taniguchi, President and Representative Director of Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Corporation, commented:

"The new Charlotte coating line marks an important milestone in building a North American supply base for Hipore™ wet-process separators. Through this investment and the separator plant currently under construction in Canada, we will establish a production system closer to the North American battery market and actively respond to growing demand in the EV and ESS sectors."

Wet-process separator: A porous membrane manufactured by forming micropores in polyolefin resin using a solvent. It allows lithium ions to pass between the positive and negative electrodes of an LIB while preventing direct contact between the electrodes to avoid short circuits.

Dry-process separator: A porous membrane manufactured by stretching polyolefin resin without using a solvent to form micropores. It allows lithium ions to pass between the positive and negative electrodes of an LIB while preventing direct contact between the electrodes to avoid short circuits.

26/08/2026

With the entry‑into‑force of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, pharmaceutical packaging is no longer generally exempt from plastic rules. It must comply with requirements for recyclability, recycled‑content targets and Extended Producer Responsibility, bringing major changes to pharmaceutical and packaging value chains.

Blister packs, drug bottles and flexible pharmaceutical packaging demand strict sterility and protection performance. Most are multi‑layer or aluminium‑plastic composite structures. Constrained by complex material construction, residual drug contamination and high recertification costs, the majority of pharmaceutical packaging cannot fit into standard household recycling streams and ends up incinerated or landfilled.

PPWR shifts the burden of proof: producers need to demonstrate viable end‑of‑life recycling pathways for their packaging, with exemptions limited to very specific use‑cases. Under EPR schemes, poorly recyclable packaging will face higher compliance fees.

Conventional municipal recycling infrastructure is not designed for contaminated complex medical waste. The industry is exploring dedicated closed‑loop systems. Advanced decontamination technologies such as supercritical CO₂ can remove pharmaceutical residues while preserving polymer performance. The UK‑funded SusPack project is developing end‑to‑end solutions covering sorting, decontamination and regulatory‑compliant material reuse.

The healthcare sector faces growing decarbonisation pressure, and packaging represents a tangible area for improvement. Technical options are already available; the main challenge lies in large‑scale implementation. Building dedicated closed‑loop recycling will be critical for companies targeting EU market compliance and net‑zero objectives.

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