Europe top stories: weekly summary

LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 2 July.

Switzerland’s Lonza closes sale of $4.5bn specialty ingredients division
Lonza has completed the sale of its specialty ingredients business to a private equity consortium of Bain Capital and Cinven for an enterprise value of Swiss francs 4.2bn ($4.5bn), in a move to become a pure-play provider to the healthcare industry, the firm said.

EU export sanctions sidestep Belarus’ primary potash fertilizer grade
Sanctions imposed on Belarus’s muriate of potash (MOP) fertilizer exports by the EU last week appear unlikely to affect state mining firm Belaruskali and key exports from marketing arm Belarus Potash Company (BPC) – potash with 60% potassium content.

Europe PC buyers mull importing Asian material amid uncertain Q3 trends
European polycarbonate (PC) buyers are increasingly looking into importing material from Asia to get around the persistent domestic tightness.

BASF to build battery recycling plant at Schwarzheide complex
BASF is to build a battery recycling prototype plant at the site of its cathode active materials (CAM) facility in Schwarzheide, the German chemicals major said on Tuesday.

EU member states adopt flagship emissions reduction rules
EU countries on Monday gave final assent to the bloc’s climate change regulations, making targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55%, relative to 1990 levels, within the next decade legally binding.