The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) announced that Joshua Baca, vice president of the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) Plastics Division, will deliver the keynote at the 63rd Polyurethanes Technical Conference on 5 October 2021. The conference will take place 5 – 7 October 2021, at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Denver, Colorado, USA.

Plixxent Holding GmbH announced the acquisition of Tagos S.r.l., an Italian producer of polyurethane‐based systems, catalysts and coatings, targeting various end-markets such as transportation, hospitality, and construction. The company was founded in 1965 and is based in Busto Arsizio near Milan, Italy, and has a leading position in products for cryogenic insulation materials. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Olin Corporation announced that it has entered into an agreement with Ashta Chemicals, Inc. to purchase and sell the chlorine produced at Ashta's headquarters and production facilities in Ashtabula, OH, USA. Olin said existing contracts will be honoured for chlorine customers of both companies. Olin is a global manufacturer and distributor of chemical products and a leading U.S. manufacturer of ammunition.

Nouryon announced the completion of the spin-out of its base chemicals business, Nobian, into a separate company remaining under the ownership of Nouryon’s equity owners, The Carlyle Group and GIC.

Cargill and Helm announced that they are entering into a joint venture, Qore, to help leading brands replace fossil-based chemistries with bio-based intermediates. As part of the agreement, both companies are investing a combined USD 300 million to build the first commercial-scale, renewable 1,4-butanediol (BDO) facility in the USA.

Clariant and India Glycols Limited (IGL), a producer of green technology-based chemicals, announced the successful creation of their 51 % – 49 % joint venture for renewable ethylene oxide (EO) derivatives after receiving all necessary regulatory approvals. The joint venture will operate under the name Clariant IGL Specialty Chemicals Private Limited.

Recticel Engineered Foams USA announced that it was awarded the supply of high-performance foam-based thermal and acoustic protection systems for the New Glenn rocket fairing kit of aerospace manufacturer Blue Origin. After having supplied comparable solutions to SpaceX, this cooperation confirms Recticel’s ability to offer sophisticated materials for the demanding space industry, said the company.

Dow has announced a series of incremental, high-return capacity expansions to support growing demand across key end-markets on 1 July 2021.

Woodbridge announced it has been awarded a Silver medal by EcoVadis in recognition of ranking in the top quartile of all organisations assessed globally by EcoVadis for sustainability performance. Woodbridge’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme and related policies ranked in the 85th percentile of all companies assessed.