Market Flash

On April 10, India’s Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals confirmed that mandatory quality orders for three key industrial chemicals — Vinyl Acetate Monomer, Methyl Acrylate, and Ethyl Acrylate — have been postponed by a full year.

At the 2025 China International Coatings Conference on April 10, Secretary General Liu Jie of the China National Coatings Industry Association offered his forecast for the year.

Arkema is going green in a big way. The global leader in specialty materials just announced the complete transition of its acrylic thickener portfolio produced in Europe to bio-based alternatives, delivering a carbon footprint reduction of up to 25%.

Eli Lilly’s experimental oral medication, orforglipron, has demonstrated promising results in a late-stage clinical trial, leading to up to 7.9% weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes.

A planned $2.36 billion electric vehicle battery plant by Gotion Inc. in Mecosta County, Michigan, has been put on hold due to an ongoing legal dispute with the local government.

UK-based OMEX has announced that its flagship biostimulant Kelpak is now officially CE-certified under European Union regulations, marking a major milestone in product compliance and grower assurance.

On April 14, 2025, Denmark’s Veterinary and Food Administration issued Notice No. 69900, unveiling draft changes to regulations involving the addition of vitamins, minerals, and select functional ingredients in food.

On April 16, 2025, Turkey's General Directorate of Food Safety and Control issued Notice No. 637, proposing new standards for sampling and analysis methods to control perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in food.

BASF recently signed a long-term supply agreement with environmental technology company Braven Environmental to use PyChem® recycled raw material produced by its patented pyrolysis technology, to gradually replace fossil raw materials

• BASF
• Braven Environment

On April 15, Hyundai Motor Group announced at the Global Hydrogen Summit in Jakarta that it will build Southeast Asia's first waste-to-hydrogen (W2H) ecosystem in West Java, Indonesia.

• Hyundai Motor

Global pharmaceutical companies could face billions in extra costs if proposed U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports are enacted this year.

President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aiming to lower U.S. prescription drug prices could significantly benefit India’s pharmaceutical sector.

In a critical move just weeks before Thailand’s durian harvest peaks, China has officially approved 10 Thai laboratories to conduct residue testing for Alkaline Yellow and Cadmium in fruits bound for the Chinese market.

Alaska’s once-thriving seafood exports to China have taken a devastating hit, with exports plunging from $1 billion in 2017 to just $450 million by 2020—a 55% drop amid intensifying U.S.-China trade tensions.

NHU Pharmaceutical stunned the market with its 2024 annual report on April 14, revealing a 117.01% surge in net profit to 5.87 billion yuan, and a revenue jump of 42.95% to 21.61 billion yuan.

In a bold move to stimulate economic growth, the UK government announced on April 13 it will suspend tariffs on 89 product categories, effective immediately.

A dramatic escalation in the US-China tariff standoff is reshaping global supply chains. On April 15, the United States raised tariffs on Chinese imports to a stunning 245%, marking the forth increase in just one week.

Perstorp has announced that it has started ester production at its Amsterdam plant and has tested several batches of various ester products. Once the quality is approved by customers, the plant will start to scale up production.

• Perstorp
• ester

On the 15th, Befar Group Egypt Chlor-alkali Plant Project held a groundbreaking ceremony in the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone on the coast of the Red Sea in Egypt.

• Befar Group
• Chlor-alkali

April is peak earnings season in China, and as of April 11, 163 companies across the Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing exchanges had published Q1 results or forecasts.