Chemicals, Plastics & Rubber

Wilmington, Del. – September 16, 2026 -- DuPont, together with The Chemours Company and Corteva Inc., has agreed to pay $455 million over 15 years to resolve PFAS litigation brought by the State of North Carolina and 11 local entities near the companies' Fayetteville Works facility.

The settlement carries a net present value of approximately $355 million, split among the three chemical makers, and covers claims tied to historical discharges from Fayetteville Works as well as separate state allegations of PFAS contamination linked to aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) use.

DuPont's exposure is capped near $126 million on a pre-tax present-value basis

Of that amount, 44% will be reimbursed by Qnity Electronics, and DuPont says the remaining liability is materially covered by existing accruals, limiting the hit to future earnings.

Wilmington, Del. – September 16, 2026 -- The Chemours Company, along with DuPont de Nemours and Corteva, has agreed to pay $455 million over 15 years to settle PFAS-related litigation brought by the State of North Carolina and 11 local entities near the company's Fayetteville Works facility.

Chemours' share totals approximately $180 million on a net present value basis

Under a January 2021 memorandum of understanding, Chemours is responsible for 50% of settlement payments, with DuPont and Corteva covering the remaining half. Chemours said its portion is fully covered by existing accruals, with expected payments of approximately $50 million over the next twelve months.

Sydney – September 16, 2026 -- First Graphene Limited (ASX: FGR, FRA: M11, OTCQB: FGPHF) has secured its first production purchase order for PureGRAPH® from Australian polyurethane manufacturer Pacific Urethanes Pty Ltd, marking a new customer and a new commercial application for the graphene material.

Pacific Urethanes will incorporate PureGRAPH® into polyurethane formulations to boost fire-retardant performance

The order targets applications for the Australian mining and resources sector, where polyurethane is widely used for screening media, wear liners, slurry systems, conveyor components, pumps, piping, and chute liners due to its abrasion resistance and impact performance. Fire performance has been a recognised limitation of polyurethane, particularly in underground mining environments where fire, smoke and hazardous gases pose safety risks.

Hunt Valley, Md. – September 16, 2026 -- GEARWRENCH has launched a three-product shop cleaning lineup targeting professional mechanics, expanding beyond its core hand tool business into hand and surface care.

GEARWRENCH introduces Heavy-Duty Hand Soap in two sizes for shop use

The Heavy-Duty Hand Soap ships in an 8 oz. handheld bottle and a 64 oz. refill size, formulated with finely ground pumice and natural clays to remove grease, oil and grime while reducing skin drying common with traditional mechanic soaps. The 64 oz. version includes a patented dispenser usable free-standing or wall-mounted for garage and shop settings.

Lexington, Ky. – September 14, 2026 -- Valvoline Global Operations has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Luval S.A., a Chilean manufacturer and distributor of high-performance lubricants, greases, and maintenance products, deepening its footprint in Latin America. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Deal builds on 37-year partnership between the two companies

Valvoline Global and Luval have maintained a commercial relationship spanning 37 years, with Luval serving as the brand's representative in the Chilean market. The acquisition formalizes that relationship by merging Valvoline Global's fluid technology leadership with Luval's local operational and commercial infrastructure.

Delray Beach, Fla. – September 13, 2026 -- The global automotive adhesives market will expand from $9.27 billion in 2026 to $12.36 billion by 2031, a 5.91% compound annual growth rate, according to MarketsandMarkets. Growth is being driven by lightweighting mandates, electric vehicle production, and manufacturing automation that favor adhesive bonding over traditional mechanical fastening.

Asia Pacific commands 59.3% of global adhesive value as regional vehicle output scales

Asia Pacific dominated the market in 2025 with a 59.3% value share, while Europe ranked second, supported by robotic dispensing and automated curing systems across vehicle plants. Passenger cars accounted for 70.7% of automotive adhesive demand by vehicle type in 2025, with light commercial vehicles holding the second-largest share as fleet operators standardize high-volume production runs.

Birkenhead – – September 12, 2026 -- Holiferm and Organica UK have combined operations, backed by continued commercial partnership with Sadorp, to create an end-to-end British biomanufacturing platform spanning ingredient science, product formulation and retail commercialisation.

Holiferm merges biosurfactant fermentation technology with Organica's formulation capability

Holiferm develops and manufactures nature-derived biosurfactants through proprietary fermentation technology at its North West England facilities. Organica formulates biodegradable, non-hazardous household and cleaning products for established UK and international brands. The combined entity now controls the chain from raw ingredient development through finished product manufacturing.

Newark, N.J. – September 11, 2026 -- Agilis, a digital and AI platform provider for the chemical industry, has formed an Advisory Board staffed with former senior executives from Dow, BASF, Brenntag, allnex and Boston Consulting Group to guide its enterprise scaling and international expansion.

Agilis has digitized more than one million SKUs across 50-plus countries

The company says it has run AI features in production with customers since 2024, a stage many chemical industry peers have yet to reach as they remain in pilot testing. The new board is tasked with advising on strategy, product direction, enterprise adoption, commercial execution and international growth.

Delray Beach – – September 08, 2026 -- The global potassium fluoride market is set to expand from USD 0.43 billion in 2026 to USD 0.51 billion by 2032, a compound annual growth rate of 2.9%, according to MarketsandMarkets. Demand is being driven by fluorination chemistry used across pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and specialty chemicals.

Asia Pacific commands 39.4% of the market as regional fluorochemical output expands

Asia Pacific is expected to hold the largest regional share at 39.4% in 2025, with China's chemical manufacturing base and India's fluorinated pharmaceutical and agrochemical intermediate production identified as key demand drivers. Japan and South Korea are contributing higher-value consumption through advanced electronics and semiconductor applications, supported by integrated fluorine-chemical supply chains and competitive manufacturing costs.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING - December 26, 2025 - Yokohama Rubber and Thailand's Rubber Authority (RAOT) have reached a new milestone in their long-term partnership to secure sustainable natural rubber, completing their tenth joint seminar to help smallholder farmers in Surat Thani improve rubber quality, productivity and working conditions across the supply chain.

Supporting smallholders at the heart of the rubber supply chain

The latest seminar, held in December 2025, brought together around 50 farming households from the Surat Thani region, one of Thailand's core natural rubber-producing areas and home to Yokohama Rubber's processing subsidiary Y.T. Rubber Co., Ltd. The program focused on practical measures to improve yield and quality at farm level, a critical factor for tire makers who depend on consistent, traceable natural rubber as a key raw material.