The Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) is planning to expand its current plantations in the Kingdom. 

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) and Pertamina have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the potential development of a crude-to-petrochemicals complex in Balongan, Indonesia. The two parties also entered into a sales agreement, in which ADNOC will supply Pertamina with up to 528,000 t/y of liquefied petroleum gas by the end of 2020. Further information on the deals were not available.

The European Commission (EC) has approved the proposed transaction between PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) and ALPLA to create a new joint venture for building a circular plastic resin plant in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate, Thailand. The joint venture, to be called Envicco Ltd., will build Thailand's "first" recycling plant to manufacture recycled polyethylene terephthalate and recycled high-density polyethylene, PTTGC earlier explained. The commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition concerns because the overlaps between the activities of the two involved are very limited.

The Indonesian Tire Producers Association (APBI) has called on the government to promote the development of a rubber-based fuel to revive rubber demand and boost prices, and ultimately to prevent rubber farmers from switching to other crops.

Wabash MPI and Carver, Inc. announced that they will highlight their full line of hydraulic and pneumatic presses for the composites industry in the USA pavilion (stand R51a) at the international composites show JEC World 2020. Held from 3 – 5 March 2020 in Paris, France, the two companies will feature their full line of composite presses with capacities from 0.5 to 2,500 t and platen sizes from 6 x 6 inches (~ 15.2 × 15.2 cm) to 15 x 15 feet (~ 4.6 x 4.6 m). Custom press systems for specific applications and a variety of options, including eject systems, data acquisition, recipe storage and bladder and core pull circuits are also available.

On 30 December 2019, Elkem ASA announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire all of the shares in Polysil, a Chinese silicone elastomer and resin materials manufacturer with strong positions in baby care and food grade silicones, as well as silicone products for the electronics and medical markets. The companies have agreed an enterprise value for Polysil of up to CNY 941 million (~ EUR 122.6 million), including potential earn-out dependent on pre-agreed parameters. Completion of the acquisition is subject to final regulatory approvals. Closing is expected by end of Q1 2020.

The International Rubber Conference – IRC 2020 will be held under the theme “Sustainable Technology, Innovation and Mobility” from 15 – 17 October 2020 at the Chennai Trade Centre in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The event will comprise a conference and an exhibition. It is being organised by the Indian Rubber Institute (IRI) under the auspices of the International Rubber Conference Organisation (IRCO), an association of rubber societies from around the world which plan the calendar for the annual IRC.

The Malaysian company FGV Rubber Industries Sdn Bhd, a manufacturer of industrial rubber products and epoxidised natural rubber (ENR – Ekoprena), and Behn Meyer Europe GmbH, a distributor of chemicals and resins to the rubber industry, have agreed on a cooperation. From now on, the partners will promote and market each other’s products and services to their respective customer bases.

The plastics industry produced 8.89 million tons of products in 2019, up 7.2 percent from the previous year, and earned USD 17.58 billion in total revenues, it was reported at a conference held by the Vietnam Plastics Association in HCM City on 3 January 2020.

Poland's chemical firm Grupa Azoty has asked the country's anti-trust regulator UOKiK to approve the construction of installations for polypropylene production by a group comprising Azoty and its one Polish and two South Korean partners, UOKiK said on Monday (30 December 2019).