Hormuz Strait » Asia's plastic supply chain is being strangled — 20% of global petchem… – Global News Digest, 27 Mar 2026

Geopolitics & Conflict
Dow CEO — Iran War » Petrochemical shortage from the Iran war will fuel inflation for the rest of 2026 — the die is already cast
Hormuz Strait » Asia's plastic supply chain is being strangled — 20% of global petchem capacity is now blocked
South Korea » Full naphtha export ban declared from midnight March 27 — stocks may last only two weeks
Korea KDB » Petrochemical bailout support capped at three years — industry recovery not expected before 2029
Belarus Belneftekhim » Petchem giants pitch their wares at Istanbul yarn expo — 500 companies, 16,000 professionals attend
India Exporters » Coir and rubber doormat makers are running out of raw materials — govt help urgently needed
Japan Rubber » Climbs on softer yen and firmer oil — butadiene margin squeeze forces plants to weigh production cuts
Sustainability & Recycling
BASF » New adhesive lets PET bottle labels wash off cleanly in recycling — RecyClass says it passes
Amcor » New UniPak dairy pot cuts carbon 9% without losing a gram of strength or line compatibility
Arkema + Zephir » World's first recyclable speed board unveiled at JEC World — world record attempts set for June
Mitsui Chemicals » ISCC PLUS certification secured for ACTCOL — biomass and recycled products portfolio set to expand
Mitsui Chemicals — ACTCOL » 50 certified sustainable products and counting — ISCC PLUS milestone at Nagoya Works
Reconomy UK » £20m+ Corby plant is nearly ready — one of the UK's largest dedicated plastic recycling sites
CIPET Agartala » Circular economy conference on plastic waste concludes — here is what was discussed
Innovation & Technology
Tema India » Petrochemical integration is driving India's next equipment boom — and Tema is right at the centre of it
Toray Industries » World's first polyimide with aspect ratio of 36 — a microfabrication breakthrough heading to mass production
Dongwon Systems » Graphene-based Nanoristic brand gets Asia-Pacific distribution deal with Golden Chemical
India on the Global Map
PCBL » Rs.10.21 lakh Uttarakhand tax penalty over e-way bill mismatch — company says no material impact
J&K — Budgam » Fire breaks out at Rangreth polymer factory — blaze controlled, no casualties
Tokyo Zairyo » Japanese firm opens Chennai branch — south India is now firmly on their radar
Corporate Moves — International
Borouge Group » OMV and ADNOC reveal the full leadership team — the world's next polyolefins giant is almost here
Topsoe » 100MW electrolyser deal with First Ammonia cancelled — missed milestones were the final straw
BASF — China » €8.7 billion Zhanjiang Verbund site opens — the world's first cracker on 100% renewable power
BASF — GripTec » New TPU outsole at CHINAPLAS 2026 — 41% lower carbon than rubber with better grip and durability