Company Dynamic

Between 2022 and 2025, chemical plant shutdowns in Europe surged sixfold, with a cumulative loss of 37 million metric tons of capacity—equivalent to the entire chemical output of the Netherlands or Belgium vanishing into thin air.

When global coatings giant PPG quietly absorbed Dutch firm EMM, the industry didn’t erupt in shockwaves—after all, against the backdrop of billion-dollar deals by Sherwin-Williams, AkzoNobel, and Nippon Paint, this transaction seemed modest.

In 2025, WACKER Chemie faced a sudden and severe downturn. The once-flagship German chemical company saw sales decline and profits collapse, triggering a chain reaction of layoffs and asset restructuring.

• Wacker Chemie

Brenntag, the global market leader in chemical and ingredient distribution, has announced the expansion of its distribution partnership with Givaudan, a world-renowned company specializing in fragrance, beauty, flavor, and health solutions.

• Brenntag
• Givaudan

2.4 billion yuan—this could be Sinochem International’s largest annual loss in 2025.

• Sinochem International

BASF quietly released its preliminary 2025 financial results: free cash flow surged to €1.3 billion—far exceeding market expectations—while core profitability metric EBITDA came in at just €6.6 billion, slightly below the lower end of its guidance range.

Wanhua Chemical has quietly unfurled an astonishing blueprint across the Shandong Peninsula—650,000 tonnes in Laizhou + 200,000 tonnes in Haiyang = 850,000 tonnes of annual lithium iron phosphate (LFP) capacity.

On January 22, 2026, German chemical giant Covestro held the commissioning ceremony for its brand-new thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) production facility in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China.

• TPU
• Covestro

U.S.-based personal care companies Suave Brands Company and Elida Beauty have officially completed their merger, creating the new global personal care group Evermark.

• Suave Brands Company
• Elida Beauty
• Evermark

Following the public disclosure of its Shandong Laiyang project, Wanhua Chemical has made another decisive move in the lithium battery cathode materials arena.

• wanhua chemical
• LFP

On January 16, 2026, Germany’s Henkel officially announced it had signed an agreement to acquire Swiss-based ATP Adhesive Systems, currently owned by private equity firm Arsenal Capital Partners.

German chemical and consumer goods group Henkel is advancing a major strategic expansion by signing an agreement with U.S.-based investment firm Arsenal Capital Partners to acquire ATP Adhesive Systems.

• Henkel
• ATP Adhesive Systems

Holding the first plenary meeting of the Critical Chemicals Alliance at the Chemelot industrial park in the Netherlands was, in itself, a statement.

L Catterton will acquire a significant minority stake in EX NIHILO, a Paris-based luxury perfume brand, while Eurazeo will exit its investment.

• L Catterton

China’s specialty engineering plastics industry is undergoing a transition from volume-driven expansion toward a development model that combines quality improvement with structural upgrading.

• specialty engineering plastics
• China

Recently, India-based Tagros Chemicals Limited signed a definitive agreement with Bayer to acquire Bayer’s global flubendiamide (FLB)–related business assets.

• Tagros
• Bayer
• flubendiamide

Taekwang Group has launched a new business initiative by creating the cosmetics brand “SIL.”

• Taekwang group

In a candid address to investors and industry stakeholders, Novo Nordisk’s CEO Mike Doustdar has signaled that the Danish pharmaceutical giant expects notable headwinds within its international operations throughout 2026.

Dow’s Silicones business sent a price adjustment notice to its partners across Greater China, announcing a planned 5%–10% price increase—effective January 26, 2026—for products tied to its high-performance building segment.

On January 8, the Chinese government approved a restructuring between Sinopec and China National Aviation Fuel Group (CNAF), marking a major consolidation in China’s aviation fuel industry chain.

• CNAF
• Sinopec