Iveco Group chooses BASF as first recycling partner for electric vehicle batteries

BASF and Inditex make a breakthrough in textile-to-textile recycling with loopamid, said the company.

BASF and Inditex jointly announce a breakthrough in their efforts for boosting recyclability in the textile industry. With the launch of loopamid.

, a polyamide 6 (PA6, also known as nylon 6) made from 100 percent textile waste, BASF is providing the first circular solution for nylon apparel made entirely from textile waste. Zara has turned the material into a jacket made from 100 percent loopamid, available worldwide as of today. Following a “design for recycling” approach, all parts, including fabrics, buttons, filling, hook and loop and zipper are made from loopamid.

With loopamid, BASF has developed an innovative solution to improve circularity in the fashion industry and recycle polyamide 6 textile waste. Due to its capability to tolerate all fabric mixtures like PA6 and elastane, the cutting-edge technology behind loopamid allows textile-to-textile recycling of post-industrial and post-consumer textile waste. The fibers and materials can be recycled over multiple cycles. At the same time, the material characteristics are identical to those of conventional virgin polyamide.

“BASF has reached an important milestone towards circularity in the fashion industry and pioneered an approach to close the loop for nylon textiles,” said Dr. Ramkumar Dhruva, President of BASF’s Monomers division. “Our loopamid has the potential to revolutionize the PA6 market for the better. We are in the process of scaling up our technology to serve our customers with commercial quantities. The capsule jacket together with Inditex is the proof that circularity is possible, and we are eager to further drive the sustainable transformation of the textile industry.”

Inditex has partnered with other leading groups in the clothing manufacturing industry to seamlessly integrate loopamid into various garment components, including fabrics, zippers, buttons, fillings, hook and loop fasteners, and sewing threads. ModaRe, a take-back program operated by the charity organization Caritas, classified, sorted and provided discarded textiles as feedstock. The Italian company RadiciGroup has been working in the process of transforming loopamid polymer into various types of yarn with different characteristics. The multinational Japanese fastening products company YKK and multinational Velcro companies have also played crucial roles in utilizing loopamid polymer to create plastic components for zippers and snap buttons, and hook and loop fasteners. Uniter from Spain, Tessitura Vignetta from Italy and Freudenberg and Gutermann from Germany have also participated in this project to develop other garment components such as inner labels, filling materials and sewing threads using loopamid.

We remind, BASF and Inditex jointly announce a breakthrough in their efforts for boosting recyclability in the textile industry. With the launch of loopamid , a polyamide 6 (PA6, also known as nylon 6) made from 100 percent textile waste, BASF is providing the first circular solution for nylon apparel made entirely from textile waste.

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Buckets, canisters, crates, barrels and closures: ALPLA has acquired the packaging specialist Fortiflex based in Puerto Rico, said the company.

The two companies have been jointly producing packaging for the markets in the Caribbean and Central America since 2017. With the acquisition of Fortiflex, ALPLA strengthens the ALPLAindustrial division established in 2023 for large-volume packaging solutions and expands its offerings as a complete provider.

The ALPLA Group is accelerating the production of large-volume plastic packaging. The internationally active packaging and recycling specialist has acquired all shares in the packaging company Fortiflex, Inc., based in Puerto Rico. The two companies have been partners since 2017, producing buckets, lids, crates, tubs and other products at locations in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

Founded in 1975, the packaging specialist Fortiflex is one of the leading manufacturers in Central America and the Caribbean, with a range of more than 700 products.

‘Through the acquisition of Fortiflex, we strengthen our position, expand our portfolio, and set the stage for further growth in the region. We gain decades of experience, recognised quality and state-of-the-art production lines,’ emphasises Carlos Torres, ALPLA Managing Director Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. All 102 employees have been taken over by ALPLA.

Fortiflex’s facilities supply products to major regional and international customers in the construction, chemical and food industries. Production and export capacities are continually expanded, now encompassing not only Central America and the Caribbean but also South and North America. In 2023, ALPLA and Fortiflex installed a new production line for buckets in Costa Rica. Further investments are planned.

The integration of Fortiflex into the ALPLA Group, combined with the portfolio of the ALPLAindustrial brand established in 2023 and ALPLA’s recycling expertise, create added value for customers in the region. ‘The business with industrial containers has great potential, and as a complete provider, we deliver closures and decorations along with them’, adds Torres.

The acquisition was contractually agreed upon on 22 December 2023. The terms were kept confidential.

We remind, ALPLA Group announced that it has expanded its presence in North Africa by entering the Moroccan market. The company also announced that it has purchased a majority share in Atlantic Packaging and founded the joint venture (JV) ALPLA Morroco with previous owner Diana Holding.

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MRC -- The volume of jet fuel exports at risk of disruption after a suspected drone attack on a Baltic Sea terminal could be more than 20,000 bpd, much of it destined for Turkey, according to data from terminal owner Novatek, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The company said on Sunday it had been forced to suspend some operations at the huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal and "technological processes" at a nearby fuel-producing complex after a fire started by what Ukrainian media said was a drone attack.

According to the latest company data available, the complex processed more than 1 million metric tons, or more than 20,000 bpd of jet fuel, in 2022. Since then, a hydrocracker unit was installed at the complex, which has increased capacity.

Drawing on stockpiles, Novatek resumed fuel loadings on Wednesday at the Ust-Luga terminal, according to industry sources and LSEG data. But analysts have said it would take weeks, if not months, for the complex to restart large-scale operations.

The complex produces naphtha for Asian markets, including China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It also produces jet fuel, most of which is delivered to Istanbul for Turkish Airlines, according to ship tracking data and industry sources.

Turkish Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

We remind, Russian energy company Novatek resumed fuel loadings at its Baltic Sea Ust-Luga terminal, damaged in a suspected drone attack, according to industry sources and LSEG data. The attack and ensuing fire have disrupted Russian fuel exports and added to uncertainty in energy markets already rocked by geopolitical jitters and tensions in the Red Sea region, one of the key gateways for global oil exports.


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A planned two-day strike action by Finnish industrial workers early next month will hit output and supply from Neste's oil refinery in Finland, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

"No finished product will come out, petrol, diesel and the others that we make here," union representative Sami Ryynanen at Neste's Porvoo refinery said.

The strike could affect output for up to a week as production must gradually be reduced ahead of time and then ramped up afterwards, Ryynanen said. A company spokesperson said Neste plans to reduce activity at Porvoo and operate the facility in "a safe state" for the duration of the Feb. 1-2 strike and that deliveries by road, rail and sea would be halted.

It was not immediately clear how much output would be affected. Finnish labour unions have protested in recent months against the right-wing government's plan to favor local work agreements over centralized bargains, limit political strikes and make it easier to terminate work contracts.

"People are worried about their everyday life, we see no other option but to go on strike to impact the government policy," Ryynanen said. Several other unions from service industries to paper and logistics workers have also announced strikes.

Flag carrier Finnair last week said it would cancel many flights as a result of the strike. The Porvoo refinery processes around 10 million tons of crude oil annually.

We remind, Central Asian countries, Afghanistan and Mongolia raised their imports of Russian fuel by around 28% in 2023 to almost 6 MMt, partially offseting a decline in Russian supplies to Europe, according to traders and industry data.Russia has drastically cut supplies of commodities, including oil and gas, to Europe amid deteriorating relations over the conflict in Ukraine.

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Russian energy company Novatek resumed fuel loadings at its Baltic Sea Ust-Luga terminal, damaged in a suspected drone attack, according to industry sources and LSEG data, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The attack and ensuing fire have disrupted Russian fuel exports and added to uncertainty in energy markets already rocked by geopolitical jitters and tensions in the Red Sea region, one of the key gateways for global oil exports.

According to the data, the tankers Minerva Julie and Chrystal Arctic are currently being loaded with fuel. Novatek did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Novatek said on Sunday it had been forced to suspend some operations at the huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal and "technological processes" at a nearby fuel-producing complex due to a fire, started by what Ukrainian media said was a drone attack.

Operations at the processing complex have not yet resumed. Analysts have said it would take weeks for the complex to restore full-scale operations. Novatek's terminal accounted for 2.8 million of the 5.2 million tons of naphtha shipped to Asia from the port of Ust-Luga in 2023, LSEG data show.

The complex receives some 7 million metric tons a year of gas condensate, a type of light oil, from Novaket's Purovsky plant in Western Siberia to produce oil products such as naphtha, jet fuel and gasoil. Novatek's complex produces mostly naphtha for Asia, including China, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia, as well as jet fuel with delivery to Istanbul for Turkish Airlines.

According to Novatek, in 2022, the Ust-Luga complex produced 6.825 million tons of products, including 4.208 million tons of light and heavy naphtha, 1.052 million tons of jet fuel, 1.487 million tons of ship fuel component (fuel oil) and gasoil as well as 78,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas.

Analysts said Novatek will now be forced to export more gas condensate instead of high-margin fuel via other terminals.

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