BASF again included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index

(BASF) -- BASF was today again included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World). The company received special recognition by the analysts for its sustainability engagement in Genetically Modified Organisms, Product Stewardship, Environmental Management System, Climate Strategy and Risk & Crisis Management. The DJSI World is the most important sustainability index and represents the top 10 percent of the largest 2,500 companies in each industry included in the Dow Jones Global Index.


BASF shares are included in the DJSI World for the eleventh year in succession. In 2008, the company led the Dow Jones Sustainability Index as best performing chemical company. The listed companies have to demonstrate continuous improvement every year with regards to sustainability and are assessed by analysts from Sustainable Asset Management Group (SAM).


MRC

Use of organic waste bags made of BASF's compostable plastic Ecovio FS approved in Bad Durkheim

(BASF) -- Effective immediately, the district of Bad Durkheim has approved the permanent use of organic waste bags made of BASF's compostable plastic Ecovio FS. Residents and local waste management companies tested the bags over a period of three months. As shown by a survey, the residents of Bad Durkheim are very satisfied with the new waste bags. And the organic composting plant Grunstadt owned by the waste management company GML Abfallwirtschaftsgesellschaft mbH also rated the results of the pilot project very positively. The bags made of Ecovio FS degrade completely and do not impair the quality of the compost.


Thanks to the Ecovio bags, the disposal of biodegradable garbage is cleaner, more hygienic and less complicated than with paper bags or old newspapers. The bags not only prevent noxious odors and keep out insects, but also mean that it is no longer necessary to wash and clean the container in which the organic waste is collected.


MRC

Siam Cement confirmed its interest in buying stakes in two petrochemical companies in Indonesia

(Reuters) -- Thailand's top industrial conglomerate, Siam Cement Pcl , confirmed on Tuesday it was interested in buying stakes in two petrochemical companies in Indonesia worth a combined estimated USD 1.1 billion. "We are interested in both petrochemical firms in Indonesia...details of the deals cannot be disclosed at this point because they are quite big deals," Chief Executive Kan Trakulhoon told reporters.


Indonesian chemical producer Sulfindo Adiusaha is up for sale with an estimated price tag of USD 700 million and may draw interest from Siam Cement and South Korea's Hanwha Chemical Corp when first-round bids are due in late August, sources with knowledge of the deal said recently.


Separately, Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings is trying to sell its 23 percent stake in Indonesian petrochemicals maker Chandra Asri in a deal worth an estimated USD 400 million, two sources with direct knowledge of the deal told Reuters recently.


MRC

Sunoco US refineries may become ethylene plants, terminals

(ICIS) -- US Sunoco executives laid out on Tuesday several options for its Marcus Hook and Philadelphia refineries in Pennsylvania, including the possibility of converting the sites into ethylene plants. The sites would benefit from the rich ethane reserves in the Marcellus Shale natural gas deposit that is largely concentrated in Pennsylvania. Additionally, the two sites could also potentially be used as terminals.


Chief executive Lynn Elsenhans said the Marcus Hook facility would especially be suited for a terminal because of its dock facilities, caverns and adjacent tank farm.


Earlier, Sunoco said it plans to exit its refining business and has begun the process to sell its refineries at Philadelphia and Marcus Hook, Pennyslvania, in the US.


MRC

Spot monoethylene glycol prices in Asia may strengthen further in the near term

(ICIS) -- Spot monoethylene glycol (MEG) prices in Asia may strengthen further in the near term, after hitting a 44-month high last week, as supply of the material is expected to tighten, market sources said on Wednesday.


In the week ending 2 September, MEG spot prices were assessed at $1,275-1,285/tonne (┬918-925/tonne) CFR (cost and freight) CMP (China Main Port), close to levels last seen on 11 January 2008, according to ICIS data.


⌠MEG prices are rising to peak point since the global economic crisis. Prices will rise above $1,300/tonne very soon because of speculation on tight supply, a regional trader said.
Scheduled turnarounds at regional plants will shave MEG supply to the Asian market.


MRC