Lithium: Remaking the global supply chain
A short video clip posted on social media by Tesla in January 2026 served as a perhaps modest introduction of a major development: the electric vehicle maker’s new lithium refinery – the largest in North America – becoming operational.
Middle East crisis results in global supply disruption
About 20% of the world’s oil and liquid natural gas is transported through the Strait of Hormuz, with about 20m barrels of crude oil and oil products usually passing through the narrow sea passage each day.
EU Industrial Accelerator Act proposal welcomed
The EU Commission’s proposed EU Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) has been welcomed by the European chemical industry association, Cefic, as having the potential to accelerate industrial decarbonisation and strengthen resilience and competitiveness. Cefic adds, however, that more is needed, particularly on the demand side, where public procurement provisions remain limited for the chemical sector.