NOV / DEC 2025
Ratcliffe renews call for urgent action
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of Ineos, has again urged European authorities to take“ urgent action” to save its chemicals industry, which he says is“ at a tipping point”. He outlined three key steps: removing green taxes from energy costs, scrapping carbon taxes, and introducing tariff protection.
“ We need to bring Europe’ s energy and carbon taxes in line with the rest of the world and challenge one-sided tariffs. If this isn’ t done, there won’ t be a chemical industry left to save,” Ratcliffe said.
According to Oxford Economics, 21 major European chemical sites with over 11 million tonnes per year of capacity are set to close, with half of Europe’ s ethylene output to disappear by 2030. Eight of the world’ s ten largest chemical firms are scaling back or leaving Europe, while output is down 30 % in the UK, 18 % in Germany and 12 % in France.
Europe’ s € 700 billion chemical sector employs 5 million people. Its collapse would hit both industry and security, while undermining Europe’ s net zero goals by driving reliance on highemission imports.
Ineos itself has shut two plants in Rheinberg, Germany, cutting 175 jobs, and is closing or mothballing several others due to energy and carbon costs and lack of tariff protection. It is also cutting jobs at its acetyls plant in Hull, UK.
“ Europe is committing industrial suicide,” said Stephen Dossett, CEO of Ineos Inovyn.“ While competitors in the US and China enjoy cheap energy, European producers are being priced out by our own policies and lack of tariff protection. It’ s unsustainable and will lead to more closures, job losses and reliance on other regions.”
Ineos later added that 1,4-butanediol( BDO) production at its Marl, Germany site“ has no future” without EU and government support, despite being one of the cleanest, lowest-carbon BDO plants globally. The market is now dominated by low-cost, high-carbon imports from China’ s Xinjiang province.
Ratcliffe – European chemical industry risks extinction
IN BRIEF
Shanghai base for Econic UK renewable carbon firm Econic Technologies, has opened its new Chinese entity, Econic( Shanghai) Technology, at CM Venture Capital’ s platform hub in the Yangpu district of Shanghai. This is the third location after the original one in Alderley Park and a pilot facility in Runcorn. Econic’ s technology is said to enable polyol and surfactant producers to significantly reduce their carbon footprint.
EC restricts PFAS The European Commission( EC) has adopted new measures restricting the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances( PFAS) in firefighting foams under REACH. These will take effect after transition periods of between 12 months and ten years, depending on the use. This move follows on from the scientific assessment of ECHA’ s committees and scrutiny by the European Parliament and the Council.
PFAS removal partners Kurita America has formed a partnership with Cyclopure to use the latter’ s Dexsorb technology for the removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances( PFAS) from water. It will build a collaborative PFAS regeneration facility in Michigan, where it will also design the filtration equipment. Dexsorb is claimed to have a four to ten times higher capacity than other treatment methods.
NOV / DEC 2025 SPECCHEMONLINE. COM
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