Clariant Faces Over €3.7 Billion in Lawsuits from Dow BASF Shell and TotalEnergies

On May 12, Clariant revealed it had been served with a new lawsuit from Dow Europe, seeking €767 million in damages over alleged violations in the ethylene purchasing market. This legal action, filed in the Munich court on May 9, adds to the mounting legal pressure Clariant is facing across Europe. The Swiss specialty chemicals giant strongly denies all allegations, emphasizing that Dow has never supplied ethylene to Clariant, and insists that economic evidence shows no market distortion occurred.

The new case is part of a broader wave of claims following an EU antitrust penalty imposed in 2020, which cited Clariant for participating in practices that allegedly manipulated ethylene procurement pricing across several EU countries. Between 2011 and 2017, four companies, including Clariant, were accused of exchanging sensitive commercial information and colluding to influence price components in countries such as Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Since 2023, Clariant has been targeted by TotalEnergies, BASF, Shell, and now Dow, bringing the total claim amount to a staggering €3.792 billion (about RMB 30.45 billion). The timeline of lawsuits is as follows:

• October 2023: Shell sued for €1 billion in Amsterdam.

• January 2025: BASF filed a €1.4 billion claim in Munich.

• February 2025: TotalEnergies launched a €625 million suit in Amsterdam.

• May 2025: Dow Europe entered a €767 million claim in Munich.

These cases all revolve around allegations that the companies’ behavior distorted pricing mechanisms for ethylene and its derivatives, impacting the financial interests of the plaintiffs.

In its official response, Clariant continues to categorically refute the charges and has reiterated that it is armed with strong economic analyses that support its stance. The company’s involvement stems from a prior EU ruling, where it, alongside Orbia and Celanese, was fined a total of €260 million, with Clariant’s share being €156 million.

Notably, Westlake was exempted from penalties after cooperating with the EU probe. Clariant has since attempted to challenge the decision but suffered a legal setback in 2023, with the court upholding the EU’s ruling and ordering Clariant to bear most of the legal costs.

With lawsuits piling up and reputational risks intensifying, Clariant’s legal battle now spans four industrial titans and multiple jurisdictions, threatening both its financial stability and its standing in the global chemicals market.