Plastics Industry Association, Society of Plastics Engineers to merge

The Plastics Industry Association (Plastics; Washington, DC) and the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE; Danbury, Connecticut) have agreed to merge by the end of 2025, as per Chemweek.

SPE will become a division of Plastics, with the full operational integration expected to begin on Jan. 1, the two organizations announced on Oct. 2.

The directors of both last week approved the recommendation of a task group formed to explore a potential merger.

“Plastics is leading the industry in many ways — sustainability, market insights, advocacy, and of course, NPE,” said Matt Seaholm, president and CEO of Plastics. NPE is the trade group’s triennial trade show. “SPE has built an incredible legacy of technical education, scientific research, and professional development. By bringing our organizations together, we’re creating a stronger, more connected platform to serve our members and advance the industry.”

Under the terms of the agreement, SPE will become a division of Plastics governed by an executive committee modeled on SPE’s current leadership structure. SPE members will retain their membership status, benefits and identity within the new division as part of the merged organization. Patrick Farrey, CEO of SPE, will join Plastics as executive vice president of SPE and chief integration officer.

“For SPE members, this is about opportunity,” Farrey said. “Our technical expertise and professional development programs will now reach more people, supported by the resources and global platform that Plastics brings.”

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Integra Plastics AD, Bulgaria, a member of the Borealis Group (Vienna, Austria), is converting its production facility to produce polypropylene starting in October 2025, as per company.

The upgrade includes the installation of Borealis’ proprietary Borcycle™ M mechanical recycling technology, enabling Integra to produce both value-add and premium recycled polypropylene (rPP).

Borcycle M is an advanced mechanical recycling technology that enables post-consumer polyolefin waste to be upcycled into high-quality materials suitable for demanding applications. These materials have a significantly lower carbon footprint than virgin-based alternatives, helping Borealis’ customers reduce their environmental impact.

Starting in October 2025, the upgraded facility will transition from producing recycled low-density polyethylene (rLDPE) to value-add and premium-quality grades of rPP. The upgrade will also increase output, taking capacity beyond the current 20,000 metric tons.

This will strengthen Borealis’ ability to meet growing demand for rPP in consumer packaging, mobility, and appliances applications, either directly or by further enhancing recycled product properties through integration with Borealis’ compounding business. It is an important step to help Borealis’ customers stay ahead of future national and international regulations, such as the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) directive.

The transition is another example of Borealis’ commitment to providing its customers with sustainable, high-quality recycled solutions.

“This upgrade will give our customers reliable access to premium recycled materials. In combination with Borealis’ superior products and compounding expertise, we’re in a unique position to serve our customers in their quest to transition to sustainable solutions.” says Dirk Langhammer, Borealis Vice President Circular Economy Solutions.

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Clariant, a sustainability-focused specialty chemical company, announced that on 02 October 2025, the company received two claims for damages against four companies, including Clariant, from BP Europe SE and ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical B.V. with the court of Munich and Dortmund respectively, both in Germany, said the company.

The claims allege damages totaling to around EUR 1.1 billion and EUR 860 million respectively, in relation to infringement of competition law on the ethylene purchasing market which was sanctioned by the European Commission in July 2020.

Clariant firmly rejects the allegations and will adamantly defend its position in the proceedings. Clariant has substantiated economic evidence that the conduct of the parties did not produce any effect on the market.

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At the International Refining and Petrochemical Conference (IRPC) in Houston, Texas, ExxonMobil presented breakthrough results in its liquid-phase isomerization (LPI) process, highlighting energy efficiency, improved yields and strong commercial performance. The presentation, titled “Liquid-Phase Isomerization Process for Paraxylene Production”, was delivered by Alejandra Rivas Cardona, Business Development Manager for ExxonMobil’s Aromatic Catalyst Licensing organization, and Jeff Pryor, Market Development for ExxonMobil.

The LPI process was introduced as a complementary—or in some cases, alternative—technology to conventional vapor-phase isomerization (VPI). ExxonMobil emphasized that LPI operates in the liquid phase, reducing energy-intensive vaporization and condensation steps while enabling lower-temperature operation.

“This technology was designed not as a replacement, but as a strategic enhancement to VPI,” said Rivas Cardona. “It can debottleneck existing xylene loops, reduce energy consumption and increase material efficiency without requiring major infrastructure changes.”

Commercial success and proven longevity. ExxonMobil shared case studies from commercial plants, including one that has been in operation for nearly a decade. Results consistently demonstrated ultra-low xylene losses—below 0.3 weight percent—across the full catalyst cycle.

Another unit, where LPI was installed in parallel with a VPI reactor running on ExxonMobil’s CYMAX2 catalyst, achieved:

Lower xylene losses
Increased ethylbenzene conversion
Reduced energy consumption across the system.
In one heavy naphtha-fed operation, the plant achieved 101% of baseline paraxylene production capacity while simultaneously cutting energy use:

Fuel gas down 3%
Steam down 9%
Power down 3%
Cooling water down 3%.
The combined OPEX savings were calculated at 4%, with the project delivering a payback in less than two years.

Pryor emphasized the broader implications: “The xylene loop is one of the largest energy consumers in the aromatics chain. By shifting to liquid-phase operation, we can cut that energy demand dramatically—more than 50% in some cases—while improving paraxylene yields.”

The LPI process also leverages ExxonMobil’s proprietary cobalt-like catalyst, which does not rely on precious metals, reducing both costs and logistical challenges for customers.

Looking ahead. The company framed LPI as a flexible solution for both revamps of existing complexes and new grassroots units, particularly where ethylbenzene-lean feeds are used. In such cases, ExxonMobil noted, LPI could even serve as a full replacement for vapor-phase isomerization.

In closing, Rivas Cardona summarized the message to refiners and petrochemical operators: “If greater efficiency, fewer byproducts, and reduced energy use are important to you, LPI technology delivers those results while fitting seamlessly into your current setup.”

Taiwan's government said on Thursday that it will cooperate should "international allies" impose further restrictions on Russian energy imports, after a group of non-governmental organizations criticized the island's continued business with the country.

While Taiwan joined the United States and major Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of energy, a major hard currency earner for Russia.

Responding to criticism on Wednesday from a group of NGOs including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air about Taiwan's continued imports of Russian naphtha, Taiwan's foreign ministry said the government will continue to closely coordinate with the United States, the European Union and other democracies.

"Should international allies impose further restrictions on Russian energy products or other items, Taiwan will actively cooperate, demonstrating its unwavering resolve to oppose aggression and defend the international order," it said.

Taiwan's economy ministry, which is in charge of energy policy, said in a separate statement that it "urges domestic enterprises to procure petroleum products that comply with EU regulations".

It noted that state-owned firms had stopped importing Russian oil in 2023 but that there is no restriction on private companies to continue doing so.

"As international sanctions continue to evolve, the ministry will further examine relevant control measures and communicate with domestic manufacturers," it added.

Taiwan has imported 102,000 bpd of refined products in the first nine months this year, up from 76,000 bpd in 2024, data from shiptracker Kpler showed. Naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, makes up the bulk of imports from Russia, the data showed.