The 11th of April Solvay announced its intention to buy Rhodia for €3 billion. This is the last announcement in a long list of acquisitions in the chemical industry in a year that is breaking records. The number of acquisitions is motivated by a market recovering from the economic crisis and that has cash again after 3 years of strong readjustment measures.
Solvay buys Rhodia
Specialty polymers of Solvay. Source: Solvay
The main products of Brussels based Solvay are sodium carbonate, hydrogen peroxide and specialty polymers. It employs 16,800 people in over 40 countries and in 2010 its consolidated sales were €7.1 billion. The sale of its pharma business for €4.5 billion to Abbott was finalised. This sale focused the rest of the business in the chemicals sector and it has probably facilitated Rhodia’s acquisition. Rhodia employs 14,000 people worldwide and in 2010 its sales amounted to €5.23 billion. Its internal structure is a bit complicated, with 5 clusters and 11 business...
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The bioplastics market evolves quickly, going from pilot plants to industrial production in merely 10 years. Today I venture into pointing some current trends that will define its future in the next 5-10 years.
Product improvement
Bioplastics have entered the market, have been tested in several applications and are produced at industrial level. In following years bioplastics producers already established will have to focused on improving their products performance. In order to do this, they can focus on one of the following factors:
Increasing the renewable content of the final product by using additives, paints and adhesives that are also renewable.
Achieving certifications related to renewable content or compostability.
Improving properties by blending with oil-based plastics.
Penetrating the durable goods market, for example in electronic products or automotive sector.
For more information, do check the following presentation by Jim Lunt & Associates, with information regarding...
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In 2006 I conducted a market study about the European Bioplastics market. I recently got the chance of taking part in a consultancy project that, amongst other things, took a look at bioplastics. Thanks to it I have been able to check the big changes that have taken place in the market in just 5 years, taking bioplastics from having a reduced market penetration to becoming one of the most important trends within the polymer market.
Source: Darwin Bell
An increasing number of competitors
In 2006 the number of “real” producers was reduced. There were several producers of starch based blends and Novamont was (and still is) the European market leader when considering production capacity. However, in the field of PLA production there have been important changes. In 2006 the sole producer was NatureWorks. It was the only company with an industrial production and there were only projects from other companies that were studying the possibility of using lactic acid to produce PLA. Nowadays...
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A while ago a friend asked me to wrote about plastic bags, current alternatives and the different measures that have being taken to reduce their consumption. Although plastic is present in many applications, bags have being the target of many attacks from environmental groups and have been object of boycotts, prohibitions and campaigns to reduce their consumption. No one doubts their usefulness but we use too many and throw them too soon. Plastic bags are easily replaced by another type of bags or objects that allow us to bring home our groceries.
The most used plastic bags are made of low density polyethylene, LDPE, a material derived of oil, which is not compostable. They can be recycled, but with big difficulties and little economic gain,which is why recycling is uncommon. Plastic bags end up, in the best of the cases, in an incinerator or in a dump. In the worst cases, they finish being thrown in the fields or in water, polluting the environment and creating many problems for the...
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IntertechPira, a division of Pira International, is organising the Biopolymers Symposium 2010. The event will take place in Denver, Colorado in October. The symposium is recommended to manufacturers, brand owners, end users, innovators and policy makers. It will cover a wide range of subjects, including the following:
Pioneering work on green policy in California
Identification of non-food sources of raw material for resin production
Market overviews from the US and Europe
Regulation, labeling and marketing
End of life management options
Technological innovation in packaging and beyond
Of particular interest to me are the sessions related to non-food sources of raw material for resin production and end of life management options. These areas could become a restraint in market growth due to negative public perceptions. Biopolymers appeal is based on environmental benefits. For biopolymers to continue growth in the medium term, the research into durable applications is a must too, as disposable...
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