LANXESS launches sub-0.1% TPP plasticising flame retardants for PVC, TPU, rubber and foam… – International Updates, 4 Aug 2026

Boardroom moves, buybacks and dealmaking

PPG appoints Justin Epler to lead Industrial Coatings Americas after operational work in its EMEA business

Asahi Kasei spends ¥11.54 billion on July buybacks as cumulative purchases reach ¥29.40 billion

Hexpol’s Vipa transaction adds a discrete polymer-compounding consolidation move

AGC and Saint-Gobain reshape a materials asset perimeter through a separate cross-border deal

Sumitomo Chemical transfers ¥2.40 billion of capital reserve to surplus after taking Koei Chemical wholly owned

Regulation and greener formulations reshape products

UK regulator weighs enforcement against Huntsman Polyurethanes after permit breaches as reported benzene emissions rise

UK foodservice packaging industry seeks coordinated EPR, recyclability and plastics-tax rules before committing recycling capital

Sun Chemical combines water-based inks, biorenewable content and barrier coatings in its corrugated-packaging portfolio

PPG launches a lower-VOC Quickline waterborne automotive-refinish system for US and Canadian body shops

LANXESS launches sub-0.1% TPP plasticising flame retardants for PVC, TPU, rubber and foam applications

Prices, profits and feedstock risks test resilience

Mitsubishi Corporation’s Materials Solution profit rises 49.9% despite a steep fall in equity-method earnings

China melamine rises to CNY6,212.50 a tonne as maintenance and load cuts tighten supply despite cautious downstream demand

SCG’s Long Son complex stops again after a restart as feedstock disruption precedes its $500-million ethane-flexibility upgrade

Sumitomo Corporation’s chemical-solutions profit rises as trading and semiconductor materials offset disruption risk

Mega projects redraw the regional supply map

Kazakhstan’s 1.25-million-tpa polyethylene complex passes 34% completion with Southeast Asia and China named as target markets

Shida Shenghua starts a CNY2.805-billion integrated lithium-salt, electrolyte and additive complex in China

Indonesia advances a $2.3-billion, 2-million-tpa coal-to-methanol project into FEED and EPCC planning

Naas secures a Saudi plant lease as the chemicals producer establishes a new manufacturing base

Iranian producers expand localisation of chemical inputs as sanctions reshape equipment and material sourcing

Battery materials and advanced chemistry enter the execution race

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Veritas file an H19-targeting nucleic-acid patent tied to MGC’s AXELPHEX development service

Jiujiang Tinci pairs a 4,500-tpa sodium-electrolyte expansion with a 200-tpa lithium-additive project

Jiangxi Lee Man Chemical advances a 2,000-tpa R1234yf pilot to test low-GWP refrigerant process economics

Sanming Runxiang advances lithium-fluoride and hexafluorophosphate lines as equipment installation begins

Borouge reports autonomous-plant and AI operating metrics as petrochemical control moves beyond advisory analytics