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Explosion at Synthos Dwory E-SBR plant in Oswiecim

Covid-19 crisis leaves fewer scars on German-speaking region / Further consolidation among producers / Prices relatively low for a long time / Volatility likely to rise at end of year / Recycling gains importance

EPS production plant in France could be shuttered this year

Is there a future for German styrene production in Böhlen? / Forecast for 2020 withdrawn due to coronavirus pandemic

New recycled polystyrene raw material for protective packaging production

Eco-friendly EPS for insulation panels production launched

PIE extends price reporting to include grey EPS / Slight growth expected for the EPS segment as a whole / Consolidation in the European processing sector / Impulses for recycling

Polish group ramps up production of XPS products / Plans for another production site possibly in Czech Republic

PS/EPS: Synthos' production in Czech Republic unaffected by deadly explosion at refinery

Polish firm converts grey EPS production to graphite

EPS: BASF manager Klaus Ries talks about the market, HBCD, the image of insulation and packaging recycling

Plastics industry continues on the road to growth / Processing segment gains 3% / Local polymer supply still inadequate / Lack of investment / Strong customer industries / Uncertain political landscape

Consortium lobbying for extended use of HBCD flame retardant largely disbanded / Availability of REACH-compliant alternatives said to be good enough to allow regular supply

EU greenlights takeover of Ineos EPS business / No significant overlap

Global production increasingly consolidated / PS market declining / Capacity expansions in Asia / Worldwide EPS demand continues to rise / Germany is the exception / Insulation segment largely switching to grey EPS

Agreement to sell EPS activities to Poland's Synthos / Proposed deal would create Europe's largest EPS producer

Fierce competition and high volatility drive consolidation in Germany / French state fund for renovations / New UK market leader is born / Cladding segment increasingly trends towards grey EPS / Prolonged use of HBCD has no notable market relevance

Plastics industry sees dynamic growth / Processing rises by 7% in 2014 / 3.1m t polymer consumption / Dependent on feedstock imports / Few petrochemical projects / Large-scale investment in packaging

Breakthrough claimed in biological production of butadiene /Direct fermentation

German chemical giant opposes prolonged use of HBCD flame retardants in EPS/XPS foams

Syndicate plans to lobby EU to prolong use of HBCD as flame retardant / Decision expected by year's end / Ban already enforced in Switzerland / German association members plan to follow in mid-2014

Standard Thermoplastics Trend July 2013: Moderate increases for most products / Sharp output cuts / Demand still sluggish / Rising crude oil notations support producer hike plans

Some facilities back up and running following flooding / Spolana extends force majeure until 31 July / Synthos warns of delivery difficulties

Rising flood levels force shut down of Czech PS and EPS facilities

Plans to modernise HDPE line in Litvinov / New bimodal facility to replace older one