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This section offers news briefs on the chemical industry as of November 2023. Topics include the pre-closing regulatory approvals received by Arcadium Lithium PLC, the holding company that will result from the proposed merger of Allkem Ltd. with Livent, the partnership between NuScale Power Corp. and the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the licensing and engineering agreement signed by Lummus Technology LLC and Citroniq Chemicals LLQ.

The article focuses on China's energy clampdown pressures chemicals and China has been reinforcing environmental and energy policy this year to help meet its climate commitments, putting pressure on the country's chemical industry. Topics include the Chinese government tightened its enforcement of a key energy policy and announced a range of new proposals has designed to cut emissions, and the China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

The article focuses on the adoption of sustainability approaches and innovation in the chemical industry in Japan. Topics being presented include efforts of the country's chemical makers to make strides reducing commodity exposure and shifting portfolios to higher-value materials as well as factors to continued progress as focusing on products that address environmental, societal, and sustainability challenges and maintaining innovation and research and development strength.

The article discusses the growth of the worldwide market for flame retardants due to the tightening of fire-protection guidelines and environmental and human health regulations based on the data from IHS Markit. Topics include the market share of China, Western Europe, and North America, the increasing demand for aluminum trihydroxide (ATH), and how consumer awareness on chemical toxicity contributes to the rising demand for flame retardants.

The article looks at the vision of the European Commission (EC) of a sustainable future that is based on the establishment of a common framework that promotes the "circular economy: a zero-waste program for Europe." A definition of the circular economy is given, along with its process from the consumption of resources to the recycling of the products. The legislative proposal adopted by the EC to review recycling and other waste-related goals in the European Union is discussed.

Information on the United Nations (UN) climate summit held in Lima, Peru is presented. Topics discussed include the call for climate action and the draft text for the 2015 global climate change agreement, the issue on how various countries will participate in climate protection, and the 2015 climate deal in Paris, France. The insights of Barbara Hendricks, federal German minister for the environment, regarding the summit are also discussed.

The article reports on the chemicals production in Germany which rose by 1.5 percent in 2014 compared with 2013. Data provided shows the total sales by the chemical industry, the growth in exports to other Western and Eastern European countries, employment rate in the industry, and average production capacity utilization. The need for the introduction of fiscal incentives for research and a strategy change in Germany's energy and climate policy are proposed.