The European PVC industry has met its environmental commitments

(ICIS) -- The European polyvinyl chloride (PVC) industry has met its environmental commitments as laid out by the Vinyl 2010 volunteer programme, a report said on Tuesday. According to the final progress report on Vinyl 2010 - the ten-year voluntary commitment launched in 2000 to enhance the sustainable production and use of PVC - European PVC companies have met, or exceeded, all targets set by the industry. The report highlights the advances made by the industry during the past decade in waste management, innovative recycling technologies, stakeholder engagement and responsible use of additives.

According to the report, 260.842 tonnes of unregulated post-consumer PVC waste were recycled by Vinyl 2010's network of European recyclers in 2010 - well above the goal of 200 KTa.

Other achievements include the ongoing development of technologies to increase PVC recycling and the launch of multi-stakeholder platforms to promote sustainable resource management, the report said.

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(Arabian Oil and Gas) -- SABIC's subsidiary, Saudi Organometallic Chemicals Company (SOCC), has awarded Samsung Engineering the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services contract for the SOCC Aluminum Alkyls manufacturing facility in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

⌠SOCC is pleased with the selection of Samsung says Al Saurage, SOCC executive general manager. ⌠With Samsung's history SOCC is assured of a quality design and construction effort for this facility that will supply a strategic product supporting the polyolefin industry of the region.

SOCC is a joint venture equally owned by SABIC affiliate, Saudi Specialty Chemical Company and Albemarle Netherlands (a wholly owned subsidiary of Albemarle Corporation).

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(BASF) -- BASF announced it is establishing a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL). The company has become a Strategic Partner in the Center's Supply Chain Exchange. The Supply Chain Exchange is an active community of companies that share a common goal to leverage cutting-edge research and knowledge to achieve supply chain-centric competitive advantages.

⌠The MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics is one of the foremost sources of supply chain innovation, said Dr. Robert Blackburn, Senior Vice President Supply Chain & Process Innovation at BASF. ⌠Joining the Supply Chain Exchange provides a great opportunity for BASF to continue our demonstrated track record of developing sustainable innovations throughout our supply chain as well as better aligning our global supply chain with our corporate business strategy to the benefit of all our stakeholders.

The Supply Chain Exchange provides networking and educational opportunities within MIT and CTL's corporate partner community, which includes representatives of some of the leading manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and transportation and logistics service providers. Additionally, BASF will directly benefit from interaction with MIT researchers on current industry issues and privileged access to CTL's symposia series, student recruiting and communications programs.

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(Reuters) -- Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical Corp said on Friday that it aims to restart the No.2 naphtha cracker at its Kashima plant, with capacity to produce 453 Kta of ethylene, around May 20, marking the reopening of the plant after it was shut by a massive quake on March 11. The company, a wholly owned unit of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings , also said it was set to restart the other 375 Kta No.1 cracker at the plant on June 27, after planned maintenance is completed.

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(Plastemart) -- South Korea's Daelim Industrial Co Ltd said in a regulatory filing that it had signed a USD 317 mln deal to build a petrochemical plant in Limay, Bataan, under a deal with Petron, the Philippines' largest oil refining firm. Daelim plans to complete the plant by November
Philippines is one of the few among ASEAN countries without an integrated petrochemical industry. Currently, the Philippines' petrochemicals industry is dependent on ethylene imports, thus is vulnerable to external factors, particularly exchange rate fluctuations.

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