Recent developments
Market signals, portfolios
Price and demand signals were mixed: WACKER raises silicone prices amid energy and logistics pressures, while Dow Q1 2026 results showed lower sales but improving cost controls in Performance Materials & Coatings. Portfolio moves continued as INEOS Inovyn agreed to sell Italian chlor-alkali business to Esseco, and PPG acquires pavement-marking maker Ozark Materials to expand Traffic Solutions.
Cement decarbonisation, consolidation
Decarbonisation frameworks and consolidation shaped cement value chains. The EU dialogue on cement industry's low‑carbon transition highlighted CCUS, clinker substitution and procurement standards. Heidelberg Materials will reduce clinker production at Skövde plant and takes 79.44% majority stake in Akçansa, while Boliden advanced an industrial demonstration plant for SCMentum supplementary cementitious material to lower embodied CO2.
Lower‑carbon chemistries, foams
Lower‑carbon chemistries progressed in building envelopes and infrastructure. BASF launched ELASTOSPRAY BMB isocyanate as a drop‑in for SPF with verified PCF reductions. Evonik opened an expanded specialty-amine plant in Nanjing to supply low‑VOC PU/epoxy additives, and Huntsman started an expanded Performance Products unit in Petfurdo for JEFFCAT catalysts. Bio-based modifiers advanced with Caleyda PHA for circular bitumen.
Coatings, rheology, distribution
Formulation advances targeted productivity and application windows. Evonik’s Ancamine 2873 enables fast winter cure in ultra‑high‑solids epoxies. Nouryon’s Alcosperse OTA‑100 extends open time with lower odor, while Brenntag will supply Bermocoll cellulose ethers in Brazil for paints, inks and dry‑mix mortars. PPG is marketing data center protective coatings and application services; materials access expanded as POLYVANTIS Debuts PLEXIGLAS in India.