Arkema is setting up its new headquarters in the heart of La Défense, Europe’s largest business district, an ideal location to host its various partners, symbolizing a new milestone in the Group’s transformation. Inspired by Arkema’s know-how, values, and commitment to CSR, these new premises are designed to combine quality of life at work with collective performance.

Brenntag announced a sole supplier agreement with GFBiochemicals to distribute their three Levulinate esters for the CASE markets in Europe. Applications for these more sustainable and safer solvents focus on industrial solvent-based coatings, safer formulations for removing of paints as well as serving special solubility requirements for coatings.

Bridgestone Corporation announced that the company will continue to support various domestic and overseas motorsports, ranging from top-level professional race series to grassroots amateur races, to further enhance and support motorsport culture. Valuing its “origin” as a tire manufacturer, the company will contribute to the development of motorsport culture by reinforcing the sustainable global motorsport as a “mobile laboratory” and connecting the refined technologies under extreme conditions to the development of replacement car and motorcycle tires.

Evonik will showcase its latest innovations in coatings, printing inks, adhesives, curing agents, and additives for construction at the European Coatings Show 2025. The exhibition will take place from March 25 to 27 in Nuremberg.

In fiscal year 2024, Freudenberg had sales of €11,947.5 million, up 0.4 percent compared to the previous year (€11,902.8 million). Exchange-rate effects of €76.9 million, however, had a negative impact on sales. They were mainly shaped by the exchange-rate trend for the Japanese yen and the Brazilian real.

Showing a growth rate of about 4.7 percent, the operating profit of €1,132.4 million was significantly greater than the €1,081.6 million from the previous year. The key success factors have been the company’s innovative product lines as well as its structured expansion into attractive markets and strategic business fields such as medical technology and the energy economy.

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) reports global natural rubber production is expected to fall short of consumption for the fifth consecutive year in 2025. According to ANRPC, global production is expected to rise by 0.3% to 14.9 million metric tons in 2025, while demand is projected to grow at a much faster rate by 1.8% to 15.6 million tons.