US top court hands Chevron victory in Ecuador pollution case

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The US Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to Chevron Corp by preventing Ecuadorean villagers and their American lawyer from trying to collect on an USD8.65 billion pollution judgment issued against the oil company by a court in Ecuador, said Reuters.

The justices turned away an appeal by New York-based lawyer Steven Donziger, who has spent more than to two decades trying to hold Chevron responsible for pollution in the Ecuadorean rain forest, of lower court rulings blocking enforcement in the United States of the 2011 judgment.

While not disputing that pollution occurred, San Ramon, California-based Chevron has said it is not liable and that Donziger and his associates orchestrated the writing of a key environmental report and bribed the presiding judge in Ecuador.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan barred enforcement of the judgment in 2014, citing the corruption used to obtain it. The New York-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals last year upheld Kaplan's decision, citing "a parade of corrupt actions" by Donziger and his associates, including coercion and fraud, culminating in the bribe offer.

The 2nd Circuit found that Chevron's $8.646 B judgment debt was "clearly traceable" to corrupt conduct by the legal team representing the villagers from the area affected by the pollution.

The lengthy legal battle with Chevron has been waged in several countries and was documented in Crude, a 2009 documentary film. The plaintiffs have said they plan to continue efforts to enforce the judgment in other countries, regardless of the outcome in the United States.

The saga was drawn extensive media attention over the years, with a succession of reporters given tours by both sides of the affected sites on the edge of the Amazonian jungle near the town of Lago Agrio. The plaintiffs also touted the backing of several celebrities including actors Mia Farrow and Danny Glover.

Donziger and representatives of residents of the Lago Agrio region have sought to force Chevron to pay for water and soil contamination caused from 1964 to 1992 by Texaco, which Chevron acquired in 2001. Chevron has said a 1998 agreement between Texaco and Ecuador absolved it of further liability.

Donziger's crusade began to unravel when Chevron noticed a deleted scene in the "Crude" documentary, released in 2009, showing Donziger working with supposedly neutral experts in preparing a report for the Ecuadorean court.

Chevron was then able to get access to out-takes and other material related to the documentary via court order. Chevron cited this evidence when it filed its lawsuit in 2011 seeking to block enforcement of the judgment, saying Donziger's actions violated US anti-racketeering law.

Donziger has also tried to enforce the judgment in Canada, Brazil and other countries where Chevron operates.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- The German specialty chemicals company Evonik Industries AG and the SinopecC Beijing Research Institute of the Chemical Industry (BRICI) have signed a collaboration agreement to build a process development laboratory for Organic Solvent Nanofiltration (OSN) membrane technology, as per Evonik's press release.

Based on its solid technical expertise and comprehensive OSN product portfolio, Evonik will act jointly with BRICI to develop new processes for Sinopec. "Starting up the OSN lab is a consistent step in our growth plan for the attractive membrane business," notes Dr. Dominic Stoerkle, Vice President & General Manager of the High Performance Polymers Business Line Asia Pacific at Evonik. "Based on the close partnership with BRICI and our active participation in the open platform, we anticipate further growth to result from the new joint OSN laboratory."

Professor Li Hongbo, president of the Yanshan Branch of Sinopec BRICI, particularly emphasized his organization’s willingness to enter into a more extensive cooperation with Evonik: "The joint OSN laboratory is a novel approach to fostering collaboration. It is well aligned with our regional innovation strategy and future development vision. Evonik will contribute advanced technology, which SINOPEC will make accessible to various business stages. With Evonik’s support, we will also build up a pilot plant unit in one of Sinopec’s production sites as an OSN reference plant."

Founded in1958, Sinopec Beijing Research Institute of the Chemical Industry (BRICI) is a pioneering institution in China dedicated to comprehensive research for the petrochemical industry. When Evonik initiated the first contact with BRICI in 2015, both parties showed strong interest in potential OSN applications for the petrochemical industry. In the following year, a series of laboratory-scale tests were successfully conducted for a lube oil dewaxing application. To enter into a partnership with the aim of developing more processes and setting up a long-term collaboration, both sides initiated several management-level meetings to discuss a future collaboration strategy. The joint OSN laboratory was officially established in early 2017, when Evonik’s first (lab-scale) equipment arrived at SINOPEC BRICI.

In the future, the laboratory will focus on the petrochemical industry to open up substantial markets in both China and the entire Asian region for OSN applications.

As MRC wrote previously, in June 2016 Evonik Industries started operating a thin-film composites plant to coat membranes for use in organic solvent nanofiltration and gas separation at its Marl site in Germany.

Besides, since late June 2016, the company has been conducting research into biodegradable high-strength composites, which could potentially replace metal in implants used for the internal fixation of fractured bones.

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world.
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MOSCOW (MRC) — South Korea's GS Engineering & Construction said on Friday it won an order worth USD865 MM to restore a fire-hit refinery unit owned by UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Corp (ADNOC), said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

A fire broke out at the ADNOC's 800,000 bpd Ruwais refinery in January this year, cutting its capacity by half.

GS E&C, which said it won the order as it had constructed the refinery, said it aims to complete the work by early 2019.

ADNOC restarted crude distillation and associated units after the fire, but gasoline and propylene production have been partially reduced.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company or ADNOC is the state-owned oil company of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to the Oil & Gas Journal, as of January 2015, the UAE holds the seventh-largest proven reserves of oil in the world at 97.8 billion barrels. Most of these reserves are located in Abu Dhabi. It is the world's 11th largest oil company by production, standing at 3.1 million barrels per day.It is the UAE's biggest company.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF, the world's petrochemical major, has launched new generation of eco-friendly spray foam insulation, said the producer on its site.

According to BASF, the construction industry is faced with major challenges in the coming years: in a wide range of projects - new buildings, restorations, and interior finish - there will be big demand for progressive and sustainable products. In order to reconcile energy efficiency, architectural ambition, and home comfort, BASF has launched the new Elastospray LWP spray foam insulation, which is said to combine high insulation performance with good environmental protection.

According to the manufacturer, the systems are the consistent further development of the proven spray foams from BASF. In addition to improving environmental compatibility, they deliver the accustomed good insulation, thanks in particular to their closed-cell structure. The product properties make Elastospray LWP a good choice for all applications demanding speedy, simple, cost-effective, and sustainable construction methods. Suitable for almost all areas of the building envelope, the material impresses above all with its low thermal conductivity owing to its closed-cell structure and air-tightness while permitting insulation without thermal bridges, says BASF. In addition, it displays immaculate mechanical properties such as high compressive strength and appropriate water vapour permeability. In residential or commercial buildings, new or renovated, Elastospray LWP is an assurance of comfort and a good interior climate.

In its bid to curb climate change, the European Union aims to drastically reduce fluorinated gases (F-gases) with high Global Warming Potential (GWP). The associated EU Regulation is targeting a two-thirds cut in F-gas emissions across Europe by the year 2030. For industry, this means substituting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), as conventionally used as blowing agents in spray foam, with eco-friendlier alternatives.

"Climate change ranks among the biggest challenges of our time. At BASF, it is our endeavour to continually develop new products that support reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable resource use," explained Jesper Bjerregaard, Director Marketing Construction at BASF Performance Materials. With the rapid development and market launch of the Elastospray LWP product line in the course of 2017, BASF said it ranks among the front runners in the industry.

As MRC informed before, in November 2014, BASF was one of the first European manufacturers that had switched its entire portfolio of polystyrene-based insulation products for the European market to a new flame retardant, nine months ahead of the deadline laid down in the EU REACH Regulation on chemicals.

BASF is the leading chemical company. It produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries. BASF generated sales of about EUR58 billion in 2016.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Bemis Company, Inc. announced its planned actions in a restructuring and cost savings program to improve efficiency and profitability that further positions the Company for long-term success, said the company on its website.

The Company will implement these initiatives while maintaining the high quality products, best-in-class service, and culture of respect and innovation consistent with Bemis’ standards.

“Improving the performance of our U.S. Packaging business is a key priority in creating value for our shareholders," said William F. Austen, Bemis Company's President and Chief Executive Officer. "During April, we began a review to align our U.S. manufacturing and administrative cost structures with the demands of our customer base to better position the Company in the current environment and for its long-term success. Given the challenges in the Brazilian economic environment, we also expanded the scope of our review to include our entire global business. We are targeting a total company cost savings plan of USD55 to USD60 million as we create a more agile, streamlined, and efficient business that is well-positioned for the long-term."

The Company has definitive plans to close two manufacturing facilities; work performed at these facilities will be transferred to other Bemis locations. The Company will initiate the closing of one of these facilities in 2017 and the other in 2018. Benefits from these two plant closures will be approximately USD10 million when fully implemented. The Company continues to evaluate opportunities to consolidate additional facilities.

The Company will reduce its administrative support cost structure to align with the current business environment. These activities will result in a reduction of approximately 300 positions, or 5 percent of the global administrative workforce, over the next three years. Impacted employees will receive job placement assistance and severance benefits to assist in their transition. The cost savings from these changes will be approximately USD20 million over the next three years.

Bemis Company, Inc. is a major supplier of flexible and rigid plastic packaging used by leading food, consumer products, healthcare, and other companies worldwide. Founded in 1858, Bemis reported 2016 net sales from continuing operations of USD4.0 billion. Bemis has a strong technical base in polymer chemistry, film extrusion, coating and laminating, printing, and converting. Headquartered in Neenah, Wisconsin, Bemis employs approximately 17,500 individuals worldwide.
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