Market Flash

India’s largest drugmaker Sun Pharma has carved out its niche by focusing on unmet patient needs rather than chasing every new market segment, according to founder and executive chairman Dilip Shanghvi.

ExxonMobil announced in September 2025 that it would suspend the construction of two chemical recycling plants in Antwerp, Belgium, and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with a total investment of about €100 million.

Recently, Solvay Group’s electronic-grade hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) expansion project at its Zhenjiang plant officially went online, doubling the facility’s annual production capacity.

• Solvay

Lubrizol, a global leader in advanced specialty ingredients, has reached a major milestone in its sustainability journey: the removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), from its peptide synthesis process.

• Lubrizol
• PFAS
• peptide synthesis

Kemira has signed a purchase agreement to acquire Water Engineering, a U.S.-based specialty water treatment services company headquartered in Nebraska, from Nolan Capital.

• Kemira
• Water Engineering

Sumitomo Chemical has completed and launched a pilot facility at its Chiba Works (Sodegaura site) to demonstrate its newly developed process of producing propylene directly from ethanol.

At the Gastech 2025 forum in Milan, Turkey’s state-owned BOTAS signed multiple agreements to diversify its LNG supply sources.

On September 10, Mitsui Chemicals, Idemitsu Kosan, and Sumitomo Chemical announced a memorandum of understanding to integrate their polyolefins operations under Prime Polymer Co., Ltd.

NextDecade Corporation has approved the final investment decision (FID) for Train 4 at its Rio Grande LNG project in Texas, with an expected capacity of 6 Mtpa.

Mitsui Chemicals, Idemitsu Kosan, and Sumitomo Chemical have recently signed a memorandum of understanding to merge parts of their plastics operations, aiming to regain competitiveness in a sluggish global market.

• Mitsui chemicals
• Idemitsu Kosan
• Sumitomo Chemical

China’s producer price index (PPI) snapped an eight-month losing streak in August 2025, with month-on-month growth holding flat after July’s –0.2%。

Global refining is undergoing a structural transformation, shaped by shifting regional demand, rising sustainability pressures, and mounting concerns over energy security.

BP has officially launched work on its $25 billion redevelopment deal in Iraq’s northern Kirkuk province, sending engineers to begin assessments on four strategic oilfields.

The clean hydrogen boom is losing steam. In recent months, developers worldwide have scrapped or delayed dozens of low-carbon hydrogen projects, citing weak demand, soaring costs, and corporate strategy shifts.

On September 3, LG Chem and GS Caltex announced they are in discussions to integrate their steam cracker operations in Yeosu, South Korea.

The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) has slashed its 2025 production outlook, warning that chemical output across the continent will fall this year, after previously forecasting 0.5% growth.

U.S. oil major ConocoPhillips confirmed on September 3 that it will lay off as much as 25% of its global workforce, a move that could affect more than 3,000 employees worldwide.

Europe’s plastic recycling industry is facing an existential crisis, with bankruptcies spreading across the sector and production capacity falling at alarming speed, according to the Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE).

Shell has scrapped plans to build an 820,000 tonnes-per-year biofuels complex in Rotterdam, citing rising costs and weak market conditions.

Bangladesh’s interim government is negotiating a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saudi Aramco to expand cooperation in the energy sector, including imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to officials on August 28.