【Overseas Highlights】Celanese Shuts Its Korean Engineering Plastics Plant! BASF to Divest Coatings Business; Six Japanese Corporations Tap Into Plastic Chemical Recycling

News Highlights:

Raw Material News-Celanese will close its Ulsan engineering materials plant in South Korea and transfer production to China and India.

Packaging News-Goodbye to aluminum tubes: Colgate launches its first in Mexico100%Recyclable toothpaste tube

Automotive News-The European Union conditionally approved Carlyle’s acquisition of BASF’s coatings business, requiring the divestment of certain businesses under Nouryon.

Other News-VitricycleObtained a U.S. patent for a thermochemical conversion process that can transform polyurethane foam into high-value recycled materials.

Macroeconomic Headlines-The U.S. government will provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding support for coal power and coal projects.

Price Information-The RMB/USD central parity rate was quoted at6.8157upregulate46

Below are the details of the international headlines:

1.Indonesia Issues Final Anti-Dumping Ruling on Polypropylene Homopolymers Involving China

Recently,The Indonesian Anti-Dumping Committee issued an announcement concerning polypropylene homopolymer originating in Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia, China, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.PP HomopolymerThe anti-dumping affirmative final ruling was made, recommending the imposition of a five-year anti-dumping duty.Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical Co., Ltd.(Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical Co., Ltd.) ad valorem tax is5.52%specific tax 0.055 /Kilograms, other manufacturers in China/The ad valorem tax for exporters is18.01%Specific tax is.0.179 /kilograms, as detailed in the attached table. The implementation of the measures shall be subject to the taxation order issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Finance. The Indonesian tariff code of the product involved is3902.10.40。。

2.Say Goodbye to Aluminum Tubes: Colgate Launches the First of Its Kind in Mexico100%Recyclable toothpaste tube

After five years of scientific research, Colgate-Palmolive Mexico has achieved a technological breakthrough: it has successfully manufactured the first one made from high-density polyethylene (also known as HDPE).HDPE 2The recyclable toothpaste tube made from plastic (number 1) is a common and easily recyclable material. This development is a part of Colgate's efforts.-Technology is crucial as the cornerstone of Colgate’s “purposeful design” strategy. Based on its...2024Annual Global Sustainable Development Report93%The packaging is already recyclable, reusable, or compostable, and with2023 89.5%It does represent some progress. The company stated: “This milestone transforms our packaging into a mono-material solution that is fully compatible with existing plastic bottle recycling systems, requires no additional separation steps, and ensures full utilization of the material.”

3.6A company completed a chemical recycling project for construction waste plastics.55 35%Direct oiling

6 3On [date], Mitsubishi Chemical, Kajima Corporation, Takenaka Corporation, Nippon Express,Refinverse GroupeAozora and six companies jointly announced the completion of the "Demonstration Project for Chemical Recycling of Waste Plastics at Construction Sites." This project is part of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment's public tender for the "Support Project for the Establishment of Advanced Social Models for Plastic Resource Recycling." In this demonstration project, the six companies applied chemical recycling technology to convert waste plastics into oil, establishing a complete supply chain from recycling, sorting, and transportation to oil regeneration. The project conducted a systematic assessment of the environmental impact and economic feasibility of the technical approach, confirming that this method can effectively increase the recyclability of construction waste plastics while reducing...COCO₂ emissions.

4.Celanese will shut down its Ulsan engineered materials plant in South Korea and shift production to China and India.

6 4 - Global Specialty Materials and Chemicals CompanyCelanese（Celanese) announced a key production network optimization initiative to support its “Grow and Strengthen” strategy for its Engineered Materials business. This production network optimization initiative will result in the closure of Celanese’s engineered materials manufacturing plant in Ulsan, South Korea. Celanese plans to immediately cease all production and manufacturing operations at the Ulsan plant. The company will fully support customers in fulfilling all contractual obligations and ensure a smooth transfer of production to Celanese’s other manufacturing sites in Asia. The production capacity of the Ulsan, South Korea plant will be transferred to the company’s facilities in Nanjing and Shenzhen, China, as well as to its plant in Silvassa, India.

5.The EU has approved Carlyle’s acquisition of BASF’s coatings business subject to conditions, requiring the divestment of certain businesses under Nouryon.

Recently, the above content.The European Commission has approved, pursuant to the EU Merger Regulation, Carlyle Group’s acquisition of the above-mentioned.BASFthe proposed acquisition of the coatings business. The approval is conditional upon Carlyle’s full implementation of the commitments it has made, including the divestiture of Nouryon (Nouryon) sell its global polysulfides business to the right buyer. Carlyle is a global investment firm whose portfolio includes Nouryon, a global specialty chemicals company. Nouryon develops and supplies essential chemical ingredients, additives, and intermediates for a wide range of end markets, including coatings and sealants. BASF Coatings develops, produces, and sells coatings products and solutions for the automotive industry, provides surface treatment technologies for various other industries, and supplies coatings and sealants to original equipment manufacturers in the aerospace sector.

6.VitricycleObtain a U.S. patent involving a thermochemical conversion process that can convert polyurethane foam into high-value recycled materials.

Recently, the United States Patent and Trademark Office grantedEdge Global InnovationThe company’s patent for a thermochemical conversion process marks an important step toward converting post-consumer and industrial waste polyurethane foam into high-value recycled materials. This new patented process uses a method called “vitrimerizationa method for converting polyurethane foam waste into reusable materials.Edge Global InnovationThe company is translating the above content into English through its subsidiary.VitriCycleCommercialize the process.Edge Global InnovationChief Executive OfficerVahid SerajianUnlike traditional chemical recycling methods,VitriCycleThe process is designed to improve energy efficiency and does not require additional solvents or catalysts.

7.Avantium LCAResearch:PEFBottle comparisonPETGreenhouse Gas Emission Reduction88%

Reducing the environmental footprint of plastics while maintaining material performance and compatibility with existing recycling systems is a core challenge in the research and development of the packaging industry.AvantiumThe company launched its bio-based polymer.PEF(polyethylene furanoate, brand namereleaf®the latest life cycle assessment (LCAResult: Under conventional operating conditions in Europe,500The milliliter-sized beverage bottle adoptsPEFMaterial, compared with traditionPETbottle, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by up to88%Studies have shown thatPEFThe core reason why these materials achieve substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions is the replacement of traditional fossil-based carbon feedstocks with plant-based renewable carbon feedstocks. Based on the principle of the natural carbon cycle, the carbon dioxide absorbed during plant growth can offset the carbon emissions generated in the subsequent stages of the product’s life cycle. Meanwhile,releaf®The material offers superior physical properties, enabling lightweight packaging design and further reducing the environmental impact of production and transportation.

Overseas Macro Markets:

[Israeli military claims to have killed the head of Hezbollah's engineering unit]

Israel Defense Forces5The Israeli military issued a statement claiming that they killed Abed Halab, the head of the engineering unit of Hezbollah, in southern Lebanon last week. The statement said that Halab was a senior commander of Hezbollah who had participated in multiple attacks against the Israeli military. It also stated that the Israeli military would continue to take action to eliminate threats against Israel and its soldiers.

Iranian Foreign Minister Holds Phone Call with Senior Hamas Official

Local time6 4Araqchi, the Iranian foreign minister, held a phone call with Khalil al-Hayya, a senior official of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), to discuss and exchange views on the latest developments in the region. Al-Hayya stated that Israel continues its aggression in the Gaza Strip and is undermining the implementation of the ceasefire agreement. He stressed that the resistance forces and the Palestinian people remain firm in their position and will continue their unwavering efforts until the Palestinian national goals are achieved. Araqchi emphasized that Iran will continue to support the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples in opposing Israel’s occupation and aggression.

The U.S. government will provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding support for coal-fired power and coal projects.

U.S. President Trump6 4On the same day at the White House announcement, the U.S. government said it would provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to support the expansion and upgrading of the country’s coal-fired power plants, as well as the construction of new coal export infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Energy issued a notice that day saying it would, under the Defense Production Act, allocate...12for a coal-fired power generation project and a coal export seaport terminal project, up to5Hundreds of millions of dollars in funding support.

Trump believes the United States and India will reach a long-awaited trade deal.

U.S. President Trump said he believes Washington and New Delhi will reach the long-awaited trade agreement after the latest round of negotiations concludes this week. The two countries have.2reached an agreement in [month] on the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement, originally scheduled to3The final negotiations will be completed within the month. Under the proposed plan, Indian exports will be subject to18%tariffs, while the rate announced last year was50%However, since the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, the negotiation process has stalled.

Price Information:

The central parity rate of the RMB against the US dollar is reported.6.8157Upward adjustment46points; midpoint of the previous trading day6.8203Official closing price of the previous trading day6.7768the previous night session closed at6.7742。

[US Dollar Market Price of Upstream Raw Materials]

6 4 CFRNortheast Asia930 /Ton stable,CFRSoutheast Asia1100 /Ton steady.

Northeast Asia propyleneFOBSouth Korea average price to1130 / 20 / CFRChina average price to1150 / 20 /

North Asia refrigerated cargo CFR, propane824-834 /tons; butane874-884 /

South China frozen cargo7Monthly landed price, propane910-920 /ton; butane970-980 /

Taiwan region CIF price for frozen goods, propane824-834 /Ton; Butane874-884 /

【LLDPEUSD market price

Thin film:1300 / CFRHuangpu);

【HDPEUS Dollar Market Price

Thin film:1270 / CFRHuangpu);

Hollow:1360 / CFR(Yantian)

Injection molding:1320 / CFRYantian);

【LDPEUSD market price

Thin film:1430 / CFRHuangpu);

【PPUS dollar market price

Homopolymerization:1400 / CFRHuangpu);

Copolymerization:1430 / CFRNansha.

Membrane material:1580 / CFRHuangpu);

Transparent:1485 / CFRHuangpu);