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HOUSTON (ICIS)–Bringing to a close Day 1 of
the Resource Recycling Conference, six
panellists from across the recycling and
plastic packaging value chain discussed the
good, the bad and the ugly of US plastics
extended producer responsibility (EPR)
legislation.
Though relatively new to the plastics packaging
space, EPR has been applied in the US for the
end of life management of several other items,
such as electronics and mattresses. Globally,
other countries such as Canada and many
throughout Europe have already adopted plastics
related EPR.
EPR programmes are widely viewed as solutions
to reducing plastic waste, by adding additional
layers of responsibility on producers for end
of life product management.
Essentially, EPR programmes are any solutions
that shift end of life cost from municipalities
to the producer, summarised Pete Keller, vice
president of recycling and sustainability at
Republic Services.
If implemented correctly, EPR programmes should
increase the amount of plastic waste collected,
and thus available for the growing recycled
plastics market.
Within the last two years, four states have
passed plastics packaging related EPR bills,
Oregon, Maine, Colorado and most
recently California.
Though these bills are all grouped under EPR,
each individual programme varies significantly
based on the set-up of the Producer
Responsibility Organization (PRO) and the
distribution of authority and rulemaking.
Panellist Bree Dietly, principal at Breezeway
Consulting, commented “I believe three out of
four should not be classified as EPR,” on the
grounds that three states broadly removed
producer power to change or influence the
programme.
Others noted the importance of robust advisory
systems, whether through councils or joint
management strategies.
This way, stakeholders are able to be involved
in determining the “rates and dates” for
performance requirements from the programme,
said Shannon Crawford, director of recycling
and environmental policy at WM.
In addition to rates and dates, some programmes
grant the PRO with the authority to determine
end markets for secondary commodities.
When discussing the California EPR programme,
Keller said, “Material might have to go to a
different end market if CalRecycle gets to
define what a ‘responsible’ end market is.”
This would not only impact the economic
modelling of MRFs, but also the availability of
supply for recyclers and reclaimers across the
country.
Despite the low confidence in a national EPR
programme being introduced, several states
continue to consider EPR bills prior to the
close of the summer legislative session and in
preparation for 2023.
While EPR brings the potential for increased
plastic collection, these programmes also come
with a multitude of challenges, as
municipalities, MRFs, recyclers and producers
navigate the implementation of each individual
programme.
Beyond implementation, panellists emphasised
the importance of flexibility within
programmes, as waste streams, consumer habits
and end markets evolve with time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced how
drastic things can change, as commercial and
office based recycling diminished, and at home
e-commerce introduced record levels of shipping
packaging, often called the “Amazon effect”.
In terms of future consumer behaviour, several
panellists voiced concern that if consumers
were given free or increased collection access,
they may abuse it.
“We have customers who use the bin as a second
garbage can” commented Keller.
Aside from increased access to recycling, EPR
programmes do no directly incentivise consumers
to recycle.
“The US is a consumer culture, we like to buy
things.” said Preston Peck, recycle reset
project lead at the City of Tacoma.
“They are not going to recycle more because the
price of aluminium just spiked,” commented
Dietly.
Instead, through EPR producers will be
economically invested in collection in order to
supplement feedstock prices and overall product
costs.
But, all four state programmes do harmonise on
one thing, the importance of consumer
education.
All four EPR bills require support for
educational outreach to consumers, hoping to
not only boost collected volumes but reduce
system contamination in the process.
Though no system is perfect, collaborative
conversations such as these are critical for
the success of future EPR programmes.
The Resource Recycling
Conference will run through Wednesday, 17
August, in Austin, Texas.
Thumbnail image shows PET flakes
16-Aug-2022
AUSTIN (ICIS)–Recycled Plastics Senior Analyst
Sunny Roe and Senior Editor for Recycled
Plastics Emily Friedman discuss the latest
developments at the 2022 Resource Recycling
Conference in Austin, Texas, including:
Collaborative conversations with the full
recycling value chain (Municipalities, Material
Recovery Facilities/MRFs, Recyclers, Package
producers and Brand owners) on todays biggest
challenges, including contamination and
commodity price volatility.
Sessions covering development of recycled
product end markets and improvements or
additions to US collection infrastructure and
systems.
A preview of Emily’s joint session “Getting
Real on Plastics” providing market data on US
recycled plastic capacity and thus supply,
along with projected demand based on corporate
recycled content targets and legislation.
16-Aug-2022
HOUSTON (ICIS)–US Koch Fertilizer announced it
is planning a $30m optimisation project at its
Dodge City, Kansas, nitrogen plant to increase
UAN production by 35,000 short tons per year.
The producer said the lift in output will help
meet growing UAN demand locally as well as
across western Kansas and eastern Colorado.
In addition the project will further improve
the facility’s reliability as well as
environmental and safety performance through
equipment and process upgrades.
Construction is scheduled to begin during early
2023 and the optimised processes are expected
to be fully operational by the end of the year.
“We are dedicated to being our customer’s
long-term supplier of choice by providing the
products they value most,” said Scott McGinn,
Koch Fertilizer executive vice president.
“This investment reflects Koch Fertilizer’s
commitment to continued growth and reinvestment
in our plants.”
Koch noted that the Dodge City investment
follows three recent Koch Fertilizer expansion
projects at their operations in Beatrice,
Nebraska, Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Enid, Oklahoma.
16-Aug-2022
Updated on 16 August with the latest
headlines.
On this topic page, we gather the latest news,
analysis and resources, to help you to keep
track of developments in the area of
sustainability in the fertilizers industry.
LATEST NEWS HEADLINES
Canada’s fertilizer emission goal
raises food production
concerns
By Erica Sesay 16-Aug-22 15:38 LONDON
(ICIS)–Canada’s emission lowering goal has
raised some concerns in the agriculture sector
about a possible reduction in the country’s
future crop yields.
Northern Nutrients produces new
nitrogen sulphur fertilizer, targets autumn
sales
By Manuja Pandey 04-Aug-22 10:37 LONDON
(ICIS)–Canada’s Northern Nutrients has created
a new nitrogen sulphur fertilizer, named Triple
Kick, which contains 38% nitrogen, 18% sulphur
as well as a source of carbon, the company said
in a statment.
Ameropa and
Hynfra sign deal to explore green ammonia,
methanol
By Julia Meehan 15-Jul-22 12:50 LONDON
(ICIS)–Ameropa and Hynfra, a Polish-based
company focused on clean energy, renewable
hydrogen and ammonia, signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) for the development and
marketing of renewable ammonia and methanol
projects.
Canada invests about $1.7m towards
high-efficiency fertilizer
By Erica Sesay 11-Jul-22 12:11 LONDON
(ICIS)–Canada’s Ministry of Agriculture and
Agri-Food has announced an investment of up to
CAD1.7m for Calgary-based Sulvaris to further
develop new technology to produce
high-efficiency fertilizers made with organic
carbon.
Highfield Resources announces launch of
community initiative at Muga Potash
project
By Mark Milam 01-Jul-22 21:52 HOUSTON
(ICIS)–Spanish fertilizer firm Highfield
Resources announced that the Muga Community
Initiative, a new public-private partnership
created to help promote local development
around the Muga Potash mine, has been
officially launched.
US Mosaic and
BioConsortia expand collaboration to microbial
biostimulant
By Mark Milam 14-Jun-2022 HOUSTON (ICIS)–US
fertilizer producer Mosaic and BioConsortia
have entered into a new agreement to distribute
BioConsortia’s new microbial biostimulant in
Asia.
IMO deems Mediterranean Sea area for
sulphur oxides emissions
control
By Morgan Condon 14-Jun-22 14:47 LONDON
(ICIS)–The International Maritime Organization
(IMO) has designated the entire Mediterranean
Sea as an area for emissions control, the UN
agency announced on Tuesday.
Canada’s Soilgenic launches new
enhanced efficiency fertilizers technology for
retail
By Erica Sesay 13-Jun-22 17:06 LONDON
(ICIS)–Canada’s Soilgenic Technologies has
announced the development of the second
generation of its enhanced efficiency
fertilizer (EEF) formulations for the retail
market.
Austria’s Borealis aims to produce 1.8m
tonnes/year of circular products by
2030
By Jonathan Lopez 10-Jun-22 09:25 MADRID
(ICIS)–The company, which recently announced
the divestment of its emissions-intensive
fertilizers division, also said it aims to more
than halve its Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions to below 2m tonnes/year by
2030, down from the 5.1m tonnes of emissions it
emitted in 2019.
European Parliament rejects proposed
carbon market reform
By Jonathan Lopez 09-Jun-22 10:15 MADRID
(ICIS)–The EU’s proposed reform of the
Emissions Trading System (ETS) failed to pass
in the European Parliament (EP) on Wednesday,
dealing a blow to the 27-country bloc’s
ambitious emissions policy.
IFA ’22: southern
Africa looks to bio-fertilizer as cheaper,
sustainable option
By Erica Sesay 31-May-22 10:05 VIENNA
(ICIS)–The southern African agriculture
industry is looking more into improving
bio-fertilizers efficiency, as high costs make
chemical fertilizers less accessible to
farmers, a producer said.
IFA ’22: Indian farmers will struggle
to embrace specialty fertilizers –
producer
By Erica Sesay 31-May-22 12:48 VIENNA
(ICIS)–Indian farmers will struggle to move on
from traditional chemical fertilizers and
embrace newer and more sustainable products, a
producer said on the sidelines of the
International Fertilizer Association (IFA)
annual conference in Vienna.
Canadian Nutrien plans to build world’s
largest clean ammonia facility in
Louisiana
By Mark Milam 18-May-22 23:31 HOUSTON
(ICIS)–Canadian fertilizer producer Nutrien
announced it is evaluating Geismar, Louisiana
as the site to build the world’s largest clean
ammonia facility, which it estimates could
achieve output of 1.2m tonnes/year.
EU CARBON BORDER ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM
(CBAM) EXPLAINED
What is it?
The risk of carbon leakage frustrates the EU’s
efforts to meet climate objectives. It occurs
when companies transfer production to countries
that are less strict on emissions, or when EU
products are replaced by more carbon-intensive
imports.
This new mechanism would counteract this risk
by putting a carbon price on imports of certain
goods from outside of the EU.
How will it work?
EU importers will buy carbon certificates
corresponding to the carbon price that would
have been paid, had the goods been produced
under the EU’s carbon pricing rules.
Conversely, once a non-EU producer can show
that they have already paid a price for the
carbon used in the production of the imported
goods, the corresponding cost can be fully
deducted for the EU importer.
This will help reduce the risk of carbon
leakage by encouraging producers in non-EU
countries to make their production processes
greener.
A reporting system will apply from 2023 with
the objective of facilitating a smooth roll out
and to facilitate dialogue with non-EU
countries. Importers will start paying a
financial adjustment in 2026.
How is the fertilizer industry
affected?
The fertilizer industry is one of the sectors
to fall under the CBAM.
The more energy-intensive nitrogen fertilizers
will be affected most in the sector by the
mechanism.
DEFRA CONSULTATIONS
EXPLAINED
The UK’s Department for
Environment, Food & Rural
Affairs (DEFRA) launched a
consultation at the beginning of
November 2020 on reducing ammonia
emissions from urea fertilizers.
The consultation ran until 26
January 2021.
It set out three options for
tackling ammonia emissions:
A total ban on solid urea
fertilizers
A requirement to stabilise
solid urea fertilizers with the
addition of a urease inhibitor.
A requirement to restrict the
spreading of solid urea fertilizers
to between 15 January and 31 March
of a given year.
Liquid urea is excluded from any
new rules or restrictions.
DEFRA is currently analysing the
feedback received.
In March 2022, DEFRA announced that
it had delayed introducing
restrictions on the use of urea by
at least a year to support farmers
with fertilizer availability and
keep their costs down
Should DEFRA decide to restrict the
use of urea in the future, growers
would be left with just ammonium
nitrate-based fertilizers.
PREVIOUS NEWS HEADLINES
Japan’s JGC Holdings awards green ammonia plant
contract to KBR
US ReMo Energy launches green ammonia product
to address fertilizer cost and climate
change
Norway’s Yara evaluates potential stock listing
of Yara Clean Ammonia unit on Oslo Stock
Exchange
Saskatchewan government extends 4R Nutrient
Stewardship agreement for three more years
Anuvia Plant Nutrients secures funding to scale
US production of sustainable fertilizer
Verde AgriTech announces technology to
incorporate microorganisms in fertilizer
products
Bayer to partner with Ginkgo to produce
sustainable fertilizers
OCI looking to expand Texas nitrogen output and
create renewable fuel plant
Australia Orica and H2U Group partner on
Gladstone green ammonia project
Canada sets tax credit of up to 60% for carbon
capture projects
Keras Resources increases ownership of the
Diamond Creek Phosphate Mine in Utah
UK delays urea restrictions to support farmers
as fertilizer costs at record high
EU states agree to back carbon border tax
Yara to develop novel green fertilizer from
recycled nutrients
USDA
announces plans for $250m grant programme to
support American-made fertilizer
Canada seeks guidance to
achieve fertilizer emissions target
Fertilizer titan Pupuk Indonesia develops
hydrogen/blue ammonia business
India
launches green hydrogen/ammonia policy, targets
exports
Canada AmmPower to develop green hydrogen and
ammonia facility in Louisiana
US DOE awards grant to project to recover rare
earth elements from phosphate production
Fertiglobe, Masdar, Engie to develop green
hydrogen for ammonia production
Czech Republic’s Spolana enhances granular AS
production
India’s Reliance to invest $80bn in green
energy projects
Yara, Sweden’s Lantmannen aim to commercialise
green ammonia by 2023
Novatek and Uniper target Russia to Germany
blue-ammonia supply chain
Fertz giant Yara goes green with
electrification of Norwegian
factoryCanada
Arianne Phosphate exploring use of phosphate
for hydrogen technology
FAO and IFA renew MoU to promote sustainable
fertilizer use
Sumitomo Chemical, Yara to explore clean
ammonia collaboration
Sri
Lanka revokes ban on imports
Tokyo scientists convert bioplastic into
nitrogen fertilizer
Aramco plans Saudi green hydrogen, ammonia
project
China
announces action plan for carbon peaking &
neutrality
Saudi Aramco targets net zero emissions from
operations by 2050
Fertiglobe goes green with Red Sea zero-carbon
ammonia pro
Australian fertilizer major Incitec Pivot teams
up for green ammonia study
INTERVIEW: BASF to scale
up new decarbonisation tech in second half of
decade – CEO
India asks fertilizer companies to speed up
production of nano DAP
Japan’s Itochu set to receive first cargo of
blue ammonia for fertilizer use
Norway’s Yara acquires recycled fertilizers
maker Ecolan
Bayer Funds US start-up aims to cut nitrogen
fertilizer use by 30%
BP: Green ammonia production in Australia
feasible, but needs huge investment
Origin and MOL explore shipping green ammonia
from Australia
India’s IFFCO seeks to
export nano urea fertilizer
Sri Lanka reinstates ban on import of chemical
fertilizers
Nutrien to cut greenhouse gas emissions 30% by
2030
RESOURCES
IFA – Fertilizers and climate change
TFI –
Sustainability report
16-Aug-2022
HOUSTON (ICIS)–US housing starts in July fell
9.6% month on month and 8.1% year on year,
according to latest data from the
US Census Bureau on Tuesday.
US housing data, July 2022
Annual rate
+/- from June 2022
+/- from July 2021
Housing starts
1,446,000
-9.6%
-8.1%
Building permits
1,674,000.
-1.3%
+1.1%
HOUSING
STARTS
ICIS senior economist Kevin Swift said that at
9.6%, July’s decline in housing starts was
larger than expected. It was the third decline
in row.
He made the following points:
Single-family starts fell by 10.1% during
the month, and the multi-family segment 8.6%.
The latter is more volatile than the
single-family segments.
Single-family starts were off 18.5% year on
year while multiple-family starts were up
18.0%.
During July, housing activity fell sharply
in the Midwest (-33.8%), south (-18.7%), and
west (-2.7%). There was a large 65.5% gain in
the northeast.
Economists’ project housing starts of 1.60m
in 2022 and with rising mortgage interest rates
and affordability issues, starts will fall to
1.37m in 2023, and 1.26m in 2024, despite
favourable demographics, Swift said. Housing
starts were 1.61m in 2021.
BUILDING PERMITSRegarding
July’s building permits, the weakness was in
the single-family segment, where permits fell
4.3%, the fifth monthly decline, the
economist said.
The single-family segment is more sensitive
to higher interest rates and housing costs.
Reflecting eroding affordability,
single-family permits were off 11.7% year on
year.
Reflecting higher rents, multiple-family
permits rose 2.8% in July and were up 23.5%
year on year.
Regionally, the weakness in July permits
was led by an 12.0% decrease in the west and an
0.1% decline in the south. The weakness more
than enough to offset solid gains in the
northeast and Midwest.
In related news, for the month of August, US
home builder confidence swung to
negative, ICIS reported earlier.
The industry has entered a housing recession,
brought on by tighter monetary policy from the
Federal Reserve and persistently elevated
construction costs, according to Robert Dietz,
chief economist for the National Association of
Home Builders (NAHB).
The housing market is a key consumer of
chemicals, driving demand for a wide variety of
chemicals, resins and derivative products, such
as plastic pipe, insulation, paints and
coatings, adhesives and synthetic fibres, among
many others.
The weakening US housing market has dragged
down demand for some plastics and chemicals for
which construction is a large end-market.
US contracts for polyvinyl chloride
(PVC) were
assessed lower because of lower
domestic demand and falling spot export prices.
Additional reporting by Al Greenwood
Please also visit the ICIS topic page
on construction
Thumbnail shows the hard hat that is worn
by home builders and other construction
workers. Image by Shutterstock.
16-Aug-2022
MADRID (ICIS)–Small barges can still load at
25% of their capacity on the River Rhine’s Kaub
gauge measuring point, the shallowest part on
the key waterway, the Rhine Waterways and
Shipping Authority (WSA Rhein) said to ICIS on
Tuesday.
Water levels at Kaub (see bottom map) stood on
Tuesday at 32cm; in 2018, when another drought
hit the Rhine, water levels stood as low as
25cm.
“Today [Tuesday], water levels in Kaub are at
about 32cm. This corresponds to a water depth
at Kaub of 1.44 m, which is available for
navigation,” said a WSA spokesperson.
“Smaller barges (maximum capacity of 2,100
tonnes) might be able to load about 25%.”
According to Elwis, a consultancy that
specialises in German waterways, water levels
could rise slightly in coming days as some rain
is forecast in central Europe.
Source:
Elwis
–
Front page picture: Container ships passes
Pfalzgrafenstein castle in the middle of the
River Rhine in Kaub, Germany, on 12
August
Source: Michael
Probst/AP/Shutterstock
Additional reporting by Nazif Nazmul
16-Aug-2022
LONDON (ICIS)–Germany’s levy on natural gas
consumption (“Gasumlage”) will cost
the country’s chemical-pharmaceutical industry
more than €3bn/year, according to an estimate
by producers’ trade group VCI.
The estimate comes after the levy was set at
euro cent 2.419 per kilowatt hour (€24.19/MWh)
on Monday.
Gas consumers will have to pay the levy
starting on 1 October 2022 until 1 April 2024,
when it will expire.
The levy will allow the government to raise
funds to cover 90% of the additional costs gas
importing power firms incur because of the
shortfalls in Russian gas supplies.
While the chemical industry recognises the need
for the levy, it is worried about its impacts,
said VCI director general Wolfgang Grosse
Entrup.
From an economic point of view, the levy was
the best way to manage the gas supply
situation, he said.
“But doing the right thing also has side
effects: For our energy-intensive industry,
which has already been hit hard, it is an
extremely bitter pill,” he said.
Burdens from high gas and electricity prices,
as well as expensive raw materials, have pushed
many producers to the breaking point, he said.
He urged the government to keep the levy as low
as possible.
“We must not endanger the economic performance
of our companies. Companies that are
particularly affected now need relief,” he
said.
VCI is in “intensive dialogue” with the federal
government on such relief, he added.
The country’s economic affairs ministry
previously indicated that the levy, which will
be adjusted every three months, could rise as
high as euro cent 5.0/kWh.
16-Aug-2022
HOUSTON (ICIS)–An index that measures
sentiment among US home builders swung to
negative in August, marking the first time
since May 2020 that the industry was this
pessimistic, a trade group said on Monday.
The National Association of Home Builders
(NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI)
fell for the eighth consecutive month to 49.
Anything below 50 indicates pessimism. Above 50
indicates optimism.
The industry has entered a housing recession,
brought on by tighter monetary policy from the
Federal Reserve and persistently elevated
construction costs, said Robert Dietz, chief
economist for the NAHB.
Other housing market indicators point to
steeper deterioration in the market.
The volume of single-family starts will likely
decline in 2022, the first such drop since
2011, Dietz said.
A component of the sentiment index that
measures buyer traffic fell to 32, according to
the NAHB. Outside of the pandemic, it was the
lowest level since April 2014.
Among the home builders surveyed, 19% said they
reduced prices during the past month to boost
sales or limit cancellations, the NAHB said.
Among those reporting price cuts, the average
reduction was 5%.
The top reason behind falling house demand was
higher interest rates, cited by 69% of the
builders surveyed.
The average rate for a 30-year loan was 5.22%,
according to Freddie Mac, a company that buys
and securitises mortgages. While that is down
from the 2022 high of 5.81%, the figure is
still 2.25 points higher than a year ago.
Moreover, mortgage rates have not been this
high since 2009.
Higher mortgage rates are not the only trend
raising home prices and discouraging sales.
Labour shortages, inflation and supply-chain
issues have increased construction costs.
During the second quarter, an index that
measures housing affordability fell to 102.8,
according to the National Association of
Realtors (NAR). In 2019-2021,
the index was never below 150.
As home affordability declined, the housing
market index and its components have
deteriorated throughout 2022.
The following table shows the monthly housing
market index and its components.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Housing Market Index
83
81
79
77
69
67
55
49
Single Family Sales: Present
89
89
87
86
78
76
64
57
Single Family Sales: Next 6 Months
82
80
70
73
63
61
49
47
Traffic of Prospective Buyers
69
65
66
61
53
48
37
32
Source: NAHB
The housing market is a key consumer of
chemicals, driving demand for a wide variety of
chemicals, resins and derivative products, such
as plastic pipe, insulation, paints and
coatings, adhesives and synthetic fibres, among
many others.
The weakening US housing market has dragged
down demand for some plastics and chemicals for
which construction is a large end-market.
US contracts for polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
were assessed lower because of lower
domestic demand and falling spot export prices.
Focus article by Al Greenwood
Thumbnail shows a home being built. Image
by NAHB.
15-Aug-2022
HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from
ICIS News from the week ended 12 August.
Global IPEX slides 7.7% in July on lower
chemical prices in NE Asia, NW Europe
The ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) slid 7.7%
month on month in July as petrochemical and
plastic prices fell in northeast Asia and
northwest Europe.
Dow lifts force majeure on MDI in North
America
Dow has lifted its force majeure on PAPI,
ISOBIND and ISONATE grades of
methylene di-phenyl diisocyanate (MDI) in North
America as of 8 August, according to a customer
letter. The force majeure was originally
declared on 8 June.
Dow, X-Energy to work on small modular nuclear
power for US Gulf Coast chems site
Chemicals major Dow has signed a letter of
intent with X-Energy to develop small modular
nuclear technology options to provide process
heat and power at one of Dow’s US Gulf Coast
facilities by about 2030, it said on Tuesday.
Braskem Idesa to start construction of Mexico
ethane terminal in Q3
Braskem Idesa plans to start construction of a
Mexican ethane terminal in the third quarter,
with completion expected in the second half of
2024, Brazilian partner of the joint venture
said late on Wednesday.
China-US container rates continue to slump
despite being in peak season
Shipping container rates from east Asia and
China to the US continued to slump this week
despite being in what is typically the peak
season as many importers ordered goods earlier
than normal to avoid delays from congested
ports.
15-Aug-2022
LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories
from ICIS Europe for the week ended 12 August.
Europe propylene ‘a
disaster’ as spot prices plummet on poor
demand, oversupply
European propylene players say the current
market is a disaster as demand both spot-wise
and contractually is very poor and the
subsequent oversupply continues to weigh very
heavily on spot prices.
German chemicals
logistics costs up on Rhine but companies
‘better prepared’
Chemicals companies on the River Rhine in
Germany are having to hire additional barges to
move product along the key waterway, which is
set to increase their logistics costs during
the third quarter.
Germany’s
energy-intensive producers fear €11bn cost from
natgas levy
Germany’s chemical and other energy-intensive
industrial producers could face more than
€11bn/year in additional costs from
the levy on natural gas
consumption (“Gasumlage”) that will take
effect in October, officials said on Thursday.
Low
Rhine to hinder barge traffic, could affect
production – BASF
Low water levels on the Rhine river in Germany
are set to impede navigation for some barges in
the coming days, while production could be
affected at “individual” plants, German
chemicals major BASF told ICIS on Thursday.
German chems sector under
pressure from gas prices, could persist through
H1 2023
Germany’s chemicals industry has hit a
multiyear low in business expectations due to
the steep increase in gas prices, according to
the Ifo Institute on Tuesday.
Global IPEX slides 7.7%
in July on lower chemical prices in NE Asia, NW
Europe
The ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) slid 7.7%
month on month in July as petrochemical and
plastic prices fell in northeast Asia and
northwest Europe.
15-Aug-2022
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