chemXplore Weekly 24 June 2026 - Evonik exits polyester, cuts 3,200 jobs | Holcim buys Xella

24 June 2026

Welcome to this week's chemXplore Weekly. The dominant thread this week is the widening gap between European retrenchment and capital deployment elsewhere. The pressure on Europe was stark: Evonik will cut 3,200 jobs and exit its global polyester business, INEOS Phenol pushed its Antwerp restart beyond 2027, and INEOS Styrolution, UPM and Stora Enso each moved to close or curtail capacity—citing energy costs, soft demand and import pressure. Yet capital is still flowing where returns look defensible: Dow committed ~$100 million to specialty silicones, Arkema lifted PVDF capacity for batteries and semiconductors, and Petrobras approved a US$1.2 billion FID for renewable fuels. On the deal front, Holcim acquired Xella while ORLEN took a 20% stake in Norway's Goliat. For investors, the signal is selectivity: producers are pruning structurally disadvantaged assets while concentrating spend on specialties, energy transition and lower-cost geographies. Read on for the full roundup.

Industry Trends

Sustainable Feedstocks & Circularity

Circular materials saw tangible activity: SABIC’s launch of LNP ELCRIN DC0051RC1 brings 75% PCR content into carbon fiber‑reinforced PC for electronics. Upstream of flat glass, AGC began a windshield‑to‑flat‑glass recycling demonstration to close a hard‑to‑recycle loop. Evonik reported a pilot hydrolysis process that depolymerizes polyurethane foam, aiming to return PU building blocks to new‑goods quality. On the waste‑to‑value front, Indaver’s Rivenhall Integrated Waste Management Facility started accepting residual waste and exporting power, with plans to integrate material recovery; wider adoption could incrementally lower Scope 1–3 footprints across value chains.

Decarbonization & Low-Carbon Technologies

Hycamite scaled operations in methane pyrolysis at its Kokkola decarbonization plant, targeting CO₂‑free hydrogen and carbon materials. Evonik opened an Anion Exchange Membrane application technology center in Shanghai to validate DURAION membranes for green hydrogen systems. TotalEnergies launched MethaneLive, a real‑time methane‑emissions monitoring centre combining sensors and agentic AI to detect and fix fugitive releases. In steel, POSCO completed a 2.5 million tonne/year Electric Arc Furnace at Gwangyang, a near‑term lever to cut Scope 1–2 intensity versus blast furnaces.

Digital Transformation & AI Integration

Siemens added XLad ladder logic and S7‑1200 G2 support to Simatic AX LCE to make software‑defined automation more accessible on the shop floor. Its Eigen Engineering Agent now ingests ECAD files and generates standards‑compliant projects, tightening design‑to‑code workflows. ArcelorMittal and AWS agreed to industrialise AI across steelmaking, targeting predictive maintenance, quality and digital twins while training the workforce. Beyond plants, Air Liquide’s Valencia home‑care contract embeds predictive AI algorithms and telemonitoring to triage adherence risks at scale; expect continued focus on productivity and resilience in low‑demand conditions.

Energy Transition Investments

Capital flowed to hydrogen, fuels and grids: Jordan Green Ammonia secured a 1,000‑ha lease in Aqaba for a 120,000 t/yr green ammonia project with dedicated solar and storage. Petrobras approved a US$1.2 billion FID for the RPBC bioQAV and renewable diesel plant, targeting up to 15,000 b/d from 2030. On SAF, Honeywell will supply Ecofining process technology and automation for Acelen Renewables’ Bahia facility. Grid readiness continued as SPIE’s consortium built out Poland’s first offshore wind node via the Choczewo 400 kV substation; these steps could help de‑risk project bankability and offtake alignment.

Innovation to Commercialization in Bio & Specialties

Dow announced ~$100 million to expand specialty silicones manufacturing and labs across the US, Europe and Asia. Arkema commissioned a 15% PVDF capacity increase in Kentucky to support batteries, data‑centre cabling and semiconductors. WACKER brought a new specialty silicones site in Karlovy Vary onstream as part of a European network reorganisation. In biobased materials, Kemira and IFF moved the Alpha Bio JV’s plant engineering to IFF’s Hanko site, re‑baselining start‑up to 2029.

Geopolitics & Regional Competitiveness

Europe’s cost headwinds and shifting demand reshaped footprints: INEOS Phenol delayed the Antwerp restart beyond 2027, citing weak recovery, high energy costs and auto‑sector import pressures. Evonik will eliminate 3,200 jobs and exit its global polyester business, pointing to structural disadvantages in Europe. Meanwhile, upstream portfolios diversified as ORLEN acquired a 20% stake in Goliat and four Norwegian licences and Repsol signed an MoU to assess the Horcón area in Venezuela. Such location‑specific choices may continue as producers balance energy costs, market access and regulatory regimes when allocating capital.

In Brief

Project Updates and Milestones

New Projects and Expansions

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships

Innovation and Product Development

Operational Changes and Investments

Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives

Executive Appointments and Governance Changes

Regulatory and Compliance Updates

Workforce and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Crisis and Risk Management

QatarEnergy: Explosion and fire at Barzan gas supply facility during Ras Laffan start-up