AlEn Monitoring
CORPORATE
Belgium. Le Herisson Vert, brand of ecological cleaning products offers laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent and has two products on development, a WC gel and a dishwasher powder, products are available on "Idees en vrac" and "Tresors de Mersaline" at Waremme
Spain. Taiba Cleaner, specialist in household cleaning products continues to expand its brand "Taifol" through the country, now to Extremadura and Comunidad Valenciana
Bolivia. Unilever detergents under the brands OMO, Skip, and ABC is offering nationally made products to private and public sector workers using 15% of their worker bonus
Germany. Henkel invested US$6 Mln. to Circularity European Growth Fund I LP to expand the company's venture capital activities while promoting a circular economy
USA. Molly's Suds, environmentaly friendly alternative to bleach with no harsh chemicals or carcinogens, is available for sell on Amazon and other e-commerce stores, the brand also sells laundry powder and detergent
France. Bionetys offers cleaning of officies and condominiums using biotechnology products without harming the user or the environment
Spain. Bunzl, division of hygiene and cleaning of the British group Bunzl maintains its upward trend and foresees growth of sales, the company expects a turnover increase of 8.9%, US$94.05 Mln.
Spain. Bunzl appointed Alberto Grau as president, adviser and CEO of the Continental Europe area, his previous position as CEO for the Southern zone of Europe and the Middle East is now occupied by Mario Ballarin
UK. Henkel appointed Cherish PR agency to handle laundry and home care brands, the account is to be led by director Lisa Wlodyka with Samantha Allen as account director
Spain. Henkel appointed Austrian, Markus Rauning new General Director of its Laundry and Home Care division in the country
Canada. Biokleen is to target market share, expand product lines and to strenght marketing efforts as a part of a new growth strategy in the framework of the company's 30th anniversary
Global. P&G's media director, Gerry D'Angelo was appointed as the co-chair of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) Media Forum to help members pressure media owners and digital advertisers to raise their standards in key areas
Peru. P&G marketing operations manager stated the company is focusing on brand safety thus is not investing on insecure platforms or traditional media
UK. Reckitt Benckiser, chief executive Rakesh Kapoor is to retire by 2019 end, after two years of problems including a cyber attack and manufacturing disruption, the board has started to search for a successor
USA. Covestro's New Martinsville, West Virginia facility donated an ambulance to the Wetzel County Ambulance Authority, the donation aligns with its i3 Give, a component of its CSR initiative
Germany. Covestro plant at Leverkusen is to expand computing power by improving digitization in Research and Development in the industry of chemicals and plastics, its digitization strategy includes a partnership with RWTH Aachen University
USA. Dow Chemical Chief Inclusion Officer said the company is leveraging technologies to promote diversity, workforce and inclusion spaces
USA. Dow Chemical's chief sustainability executive, Neil Hawkins, is to be President and COO of the Erb Family Foundation effective April 1 following its retirement from Dow
Romania. Oltchim has 177 employees after the sale of assets to Chimcomplex, a document by the company states that 1356 employees signed labor contracts with the new owner and 436 were included in the collective redundancy process
Spain. Ercros repurchased 84,000 of its own shares during the period between January 7 to 15 in line with its fourth amortization program and has 1.55% in treasury shares
Poland. PCC Rokita is interested in a loan by the European Investment Bank for projects regarding the expansion and modernization of its chemical facilities
TECHNOLOGY
Spain. Henkel launched a tablet format for its bleach brands "Neutrex" and "Estrella" implemented in the country as the consumption of bleach is higher, the new launch is part of its sustainability policy and means a reduction of CO2 emissions
Spain. Careli announced the manufacturing of cleaning products in flexible packaging for MDD
Germany. Henkel was granted a trademark for Glitterizer and expires on 2028
Germany. Henkel was granted a trademark for FreshGuard from April, 2018 to 2028
COMPETITIVE DINAMYC
India. Travancore Cochin Chemicals which produces caustic soda, chlorine and hydrochlroric acid is to increase its installed production capacity from 175 to 250 tonnes per day
Egypt. Henkel completed its expansion in Cairo Common Services Center which serves the Middle East, Africa and India, with up to US$ 2.79 Mln. in investments, it is to be a global centre in information technology support
South Korea. Kemira signed an agreement to establish a joint venture with Yongsan Chemicals, "NewCo" in Ulsa; Kemira is to make a multi-million investment in the JV and a 35% minority share of the established company, NewCo is to produce dry polyacrylamide (DPAM), cationic monomer Q9 (AMD) and other chemicals
UK. Ecolab acquired Bioquell, total consideration payable to shareholders is to be about US$178 Mln. subject to determination of the final share count
USA. Vantage Specialty Chemicals, leading provider of naturally derived ingredients acquired LEUNA-Tenside, the acquisition is to offer opportunities to Vantage in the development of sulfate-free and soap- free formulations in personal care
Saudi Arabia. United Stars signed an agreement with SABIC to transport MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether), caustic soda and other chemicals from SABIC plants in Jubail in the Eastern Province to the company's costumers inside the Kingdom Gulf Cooperating Council (GCC) and Jordan
Saudia Arabia. Aramco is to acquire 70% stake in SABIC for about US%70 Bln. from the kingdom's public investment fund and to sell around US$10 Bln. in bonds to help fund the purchase
Brazil. LyondellBasell finalization deal to buy Braskem delayed due to government change, the deal's price depends on a long-term naphtha supply contract with state-controlled Petroleo Brasileiro which also owns shares in Braskem
SUSTAINABILITY
India. Unilever, Wings group and the Indonesian Laundry Association (ASLI) are to support the Jakarta administration for a new city regulation on detergents to solve pollution of Jakarta rivers caused by the excessive use of detergents
USA. P&G and Unilever's top marketers spoke at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on how digital media is changing the marketing sector, Unilever pointed out solutions like blockchain to fix a broken digital ecosystem whereas P&G highlighted the importance of connected tech as an alternative for engaging consumers
Nigeria. P&G, UN Women and Afrigrants Resources held a graduation ceremony for 250 small business women entrepreneurs in Kaduna State for intensive training on financial literacy and awarded US$2.754 to the brightest business ideas
Global. P&G, Veolia, SABIC and LyondellBasell among other companies that are part of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) commited more than US$1 Bln. throught the next 5 years to help end plastic waste in the environment
Europe. SABIC signed a MoU with Plastic Energy to supply recycled plastics waste for production facilities in Europe, the company plans a refining plant for recycled low-quality, mixed plastics waste in the Netherlands
France. Diversey's partnership with the World Championship for Chefs, the Bocuse d'Or as a cleaning partner promotes its SURE line which is used by all the participants
PESC
Mexico. Poza Rica is to charge an extra charge of 1-120 Unidades de Medida de Actualización (UMA) to the townhall for the use or commercialize of single-use plastic which includes the use of cleaning products packaging, in line with the 2030 agenda for sustainable development
Brazil. President's economic team is to announce unilateral measures in 1Q:2019 to cut import tariffs in order to open the economy in the next four years, according to the World Bank this could raise the country's growth potencial to 0.9 points over the next 12 years
Canada. Petrochemical industry expected growth thanks to incentive programs by the federal and provincial governments, capital spending in the country for chemical industry projects is to raise by 65%, the highest since 2014 as well as employment rate
PUBLIC RELATIONS
USA. P&G was sued by photographer Annette Navarro McCall after discovering the company was using her imagery on products and marketing materials without a license and added Walmart as co-defendant, its attempt to wriggle out the lawsuit was denied by US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
UK. Unilever was upgraded from a "sell" raiting to a "hold" raiting in a report released by Zacks Investment Research
India. Unilever was imposed a US$53.8 Mln. fine by the National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) for not reducing its retail prices after the goods and services tax (GST) rate cuts took effect on November 15, 2017
Global. Ecover, Biobel, Almacabio y Equo, Sodasan, Ecotech, Ulrich, Talybe, Sonett and Attitude were included in a list by "Cuerpomente" as market options for natural and ecological detergents some even with certifications that guarantee the use of truly biodegradable ingredients
Kuwait. Dow Chemical's investigation on violations from top oil executives was called for resume by former MP Abdullah Al-Turaiqi as he was the main witness in the case that caused the country to pay a fine over US$2 Bln. after unilaterally revoking a multi billion contract with the company
Germany. Braskem ranked number 9 as one of the most beloved companies by employees, according to Love Mondays survey platform
Brazil. Braskem attended a meeting with the National Mining Agency, the Municipal Agency, State and National Civil Defense, Mineral Resources Research Company and Ministry of Mines and Energy to find out the cause of the quake and cracks in the Pinheiro neighborhood, the report is expected to be released in March
RETAIL
USA. Amazon's growing influence is having an impact on detergent and laundry manufacturers, companies are facing challenges to comply with sustainbale standards, make their products more suitable for e-commerce, make lighter packages and reduce shipping costs
Global. SOTI IoT, mobile device management firm, found shoppers are starting to prefer self-service retail technologies and 73% want self-service technologies as it provides faster shopping experience