Japan's ethylene plants hit record-low 68.6% operating rate as Hormuz crisis bites – Global News Digest, 24 Apr 2026

War & Supply Chain Shock

Japan's ethylene plants hit record-low 68.6% operating rate as Hormuz crisis bites

Indorama CEO says shale-based US integration is its shield against Iran-linked disruptions

Tight Gulf Coast supply and spring demand surge drive US butyl rubber prices up 13.5%

SIBUR's 2.7 million tonne AGCC plant to power fivefold Asian polymer supply surge by 2030

Policy & Power Moves

Minister Nadda huddles with 25 industry chiefs to chart chemicals sector's path to $1 trillion

Saudi Arabia's $11 billion Amiral complex to anchor domestic petrochemical value chain

SOCAR's Caspian forum pitch: flexible feedstocks and green energy are next petrochem frontier

Earth Day report calls for bold policy incentives to pull green chemistry into the mainstream

Deals & Expansions

Eveready opens India's only alkaline battery plant with Rs 200 crore Jammu investment

Givaudan pours $160 million into Mexico site to anchor Latin America fragrance ambitions

BKT seeks to double Kutch tyre capacity and quadruple carbon black output by 2030

Numbers That Matter

Himadri Speciality posts record FY26 EBITDA of Rs 1,006 crore on disciplined strategy execution

JK Tyre shareholders back Dr Khaitan's independent director appointment with 95% majority

Green & Circular Economy

Clariant launches reel-fed desiccant strips to match the pace of modern automated packaging

Axens, IFPEN and JEPLAN close the polyester textile loop in first industrial-scale trial

CF Industries and PepsiCo launch certified low-carbon fertilizer for Frito-Lay potato supply chain

Tomra opens North Carolina AI sorting hub to bring global recycling expertise to the Americas

Industrial Incidents

Methanol blast at Bharuch agrochemical plant injures 15, five workers in critical condition