Author: Editor
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Canada Gets a New Oil Giant
Tamarack Valley and Headwater are merging in a C$10 billion deal, creating a major new Canadian crude oil producer.
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EU May Limit Cheap Chemical and Plastic Imports
EU countries are considering limits on cheap chemical and plastic imports to protect struggling European producers.
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Dow May Quit Aramco Plastics Venture
Dow may sell its 35% Sadara stake as weak demand and industry pressures intensify globally.
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Where Did the Ottoman Empire’s Oil Go?
European powers and later American oil companies competed for Ottoman petroleum. After the empire collapsed, its former oil territories became…
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Worst Politician of 2026
A savage verdict on political failure, establishment hypocrisy, abandoned victims and the widening gulf between European values and reality.
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Europe, Where Do Tetra Paks Actually Go?
Europe tells consumers exactly how to sort Tetra Paks. What happens after collection remains a much less transparent story.
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EU Lost Its Seat at the Oil Poker Table
Europe regulated itself out of the oil game, leaving others to control supply, prices and geopolitical leverage.
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Canada-US Trade War Reaches Plastics
Canada’s retaliatory tariffs now extend to selected U.S. plastic products, potentially reshaping sourcing, costs and cross-border supply chains.
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Oil Shock Sends Plastic Prices Higher
Oil’s surge toward $100 is lifting Chinese plastics and petrochemical prices, raising fears of higher costs across global supply chains.
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EU Plastics Sector Calls for Emergency Action
European plastics producers and recyclers urge Brussels to act as costs, weak demand and competition intensify.
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Goldman Sachs Warns of $120 Oil
Goldman Sachs warns intensifying Middle East shipping attacks could push oil prices toward $120 per barrel amid severe supply disruption…
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Is China Quietly Stabilising Global Oil Prices?
China’s weaker demand and large crude inventories are helping cushion global oil prices despite Middle East disruptions.
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Diesel, Not Crude, May Be the Real Energy Crisis
Diesel supplies could tighten this winter as refining disruptions, low inventories and geopolitical tensions intensify.
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The Greenest Shopping Bag? Perhaps It’s the One We Never Throw Away
Marco Astorri, founder and ex-CEO of Bio-on, argues that the greenest shopping bag may be the one we reuse, highlighting…
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How Opium and Communism Westernized China
An opinion piece arguing that modern China progressively replaced much of traditional Chinese civilization by adopting Western political, industrial, technological…
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EU Press Freedom: The Bullshit Edition
A Brussels blogger challenges the EU’s claims on press freedom while facing a lawsuit linked to criticism of the European…
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Italy’s Waste Scandal: Mafia, Business and Politics
Italy’s waste crisis exposed a toxic mix of mafia trafficking, failed politics, corporate contracts and poisoned land—leaving Campania to pay…
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Italy Mandates Compostable Packaging Amid Conflict-of-Interest Concerns
Italy’s compostable-plastics policy raises conflict-of-interest concerns as state ownership and waste strategy increasingly overlap.
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EU Ends Plastic Waste Export Carousel
The EU will ban plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries from November 2026, tightening controls and pushing more recycling within…
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Japan Moves on Mass-Balance Rules for Plastics
Japan launches task forces on plastic circularity, including mass-balance labelling, recycled plastics and bioplastics, to accelerate progress toward 2030 targets.
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Rising Microplastics in Soil Threaten UK Food Security
Rising microplastic contamination in UK farmland is raising concerns over soil health, crop productivity and food security, with sewage sludge…
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Recycled PET Is Not the Future. PHA Is
Marco Astorri argues recycled PET merely prolongs plastic pollution, while PHA offers a biodegradable alternative for applications prone to environmental…
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Scientists Call for Mandatory UN Plastics Treaty Reporting
Scientists urge mandatory global plastics reporting under the UN treaty to track production, trade, recycling, chemicals, waste flows and progress.
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McDonald’s Faces Multimillion-Euro Fine Over Single-Use Plastic
McDonald’s faces potential multimillion-euro penalties in the Netherlands over continued use of single-use plastic cups.
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Chemical Recycling Crisis Deepens in Europe
Chemical recycling projects across Europe face closures, delays and investment pauses as weak economics and regulatory uncertainty challenge industry ambitions.
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PureCycle Delays Antwerp Chemical Recycling Plant to 2029
PureCycle postpones its Antwerp polypropylene recycling plant to 2029 despite €40 million in EU funding.
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The EU pays green lobby groups to lobby the EU
Play the video
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UK’s Most Sustainable Plastic: Taxable Plastic
Britain’s plastic tax was meant to reduce waste. Now mass balance, rising rates and certification turn environmental policy into sophisticated…
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ENI Expands Oil Production in Venezuela
ENI signs new agreements in Venezuela to expand oil projects and increase future production.
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Italy Considers New Tax on ENI and Energy Firms
Italy’s proposed windfall tax could reduce ENI’s profits and returns to shareholders.
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China Turns to Russian Oil as Middle East Supplies Tighten
China’s growing purchases of Russian oil could raise costs for smaller refiners and affect plastics production.
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The Naphtha Crunch Behind Asia’s Plastics Crisis
Rising naphtha costs are squeezing Asian plastics producers, worsening margins and exposing the region’s dependence on volatile petrochemical feedstocks.
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Asian Plastics in Crisis
Asian plastics producers face mounting pressure as naphtha shortages, force majeure declarations and weak margins disrupt petrochemical production across region.
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Anellotech Goes Bankrupt: Another Advanced Recycling Dream Collapses
Anellotech is liquidating after nearly two decades developing technologies to convert biomass and plastic waste into petrochemical feedstocks. The US…
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The Rhine Group: The People Who Broke Europe Are Here to Fix It
The Rhine Group: Making Europe Competitive Again, from Switzerland and the USA
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Latest Update on the UN Plastics Treaty
Latest developments on the UN Plastics Treaty ahead of crucial negotiations taking place in Bangkok soon.
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Europe Created Its Own Petrochemical Crisis
Europe’s shrinking petrochemical capacity leaves it increasingly exposed as geopolitical disruptions tighten global chemical supplies.
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South Korea Protects Its Petrochemical Industry
South Korea protects domestic naphtha supplies as global competition for petrochemical feedstocks intensifies amid disruptions.
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Petrochemical Winners of the Iran War
War-driven supply disruptions reshuffled petrochemical fortunes, boosting Western producers’ margins while Middle Eastern competitors struggled with production and logistics.
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War Hits Arab Petrochemical Giants
Middle Eastern petrochemical producers took a direct hit from the regional war. Saudi Arabia’s SABIC saw operating income fall 27%,…
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Japan Resonac Dumps Petrochemicals on Shareholders
Resonac separates its petrochemicals operations, handing control of Crasus to shareholders as the Japanese group shifts towards higher-value businesses.
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Saudi Arabia Abandons Europe’s Chemical Recycling Ship
SABIC’s European exit and Plastic Energy’s collapse expose growing cracks in Europe’s chemical recycling ambitions as German investors take over.
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PetroChina Bets on Petrochemicals
PetroChina accelerates its petrochemical and advanced-materials expansion as declining transport-fuel demand reshapes China’s oil refining and chemicals industry.
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Trump Strikes World’s Biggest Oil Deal
A landmark US-Venezuela oil agreement gives American interests majority control over 65 billion barrels while promising investment and increased production.
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Refinery Attacks Cut Russian Gasoline Supply by 30%
Russia’s Fuel Crisis Adds Pressure to Fragile Global Market
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US Wants 100-Year Deal on Venezuelan Oil
Washington is considering a century-long arrangement granting US companies access to Venezuelan oil fields as investment and production plans accelerate.
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Global Supply Disruptions Rescue German Chemicals
German chemical producers see improving demand and sentiment, but weak capacity utilisation and global uncertainty continue to cloud the sector’s…
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Plastic Giant Braskem Drowns in $11 Billion Debt
Mounting debt, cheaper imports and shrinking market share are pushing one of Latin America’s largest petrochemical producers into financial restructuring.
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15 Dead at SIBUR–Sinopec Gas Chemical Complex
A deadly fire at the massive SIBUR–Sinopec petrochemical complex highlights the human risks behind expanding global plastics production capacity.
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EU Still Needs Russian Oil & Gas
Geopolitical instability is narrowing Europe’s energy options just as winter approaches, exposing the consequences of increasingly fragile supply routes.
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Sinopec Resets Strategy Amid Petrochemical Overcapacity
China’s Sinopec is reshaping its strategy as petrochemical overcapacity, weaker fuel demand and shrinking margins challenge the traditional refining and…
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Indonesia Plans New Refinery and Petrochemical Complex
Indonesia is moving ahead with plans for a nearly $6 billion refinery and petrochemical complex in North Kalimantan.
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How Trump Keeps America the World’s Oil Master
Trump is turning America’s oil dominance into economic and geopolitical power, challenging Europe’s perception of him as an unpredictable leader.
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Taiwan Turns to America for Its Petrochemical Feedstocks
Taiwan turns to U.S. petrochemical feedstocks as Middle Eastern disruptions expose its dependence on Gulf supplies.
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Japan Changes Its Oil Strategy
Japan is reshaping its oil strategy, diversifying crude and naphtha supplies while protecting the domestic refining and petrochemical industries from…
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Braskem Makes Money but Can’t Pay the Bills
Braskem is making money again, but a massive $10.9 billion debt burden shows why profits alone cannot fix the petrochemical…
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Shell to sell European Chemicals Business
Shell considers selling its European and US chemical assets as weak margins, high costs and declining competitiveness reshape the future…
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PPWR: The Recycling Fairy Tale Gets a Sequel
Forty years later, Brussels tries recycling again.
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Joe Biden Appointed EU Special Envoy for Oil and Gas
Joe Biden has been appointed EU Special Envoy for Oil and Gas
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Massive Oil Spills Spread Across the Persian Gulf
Major oil spills are spreading across waters near Iran and Oman, adding an environmental crisis to an already volatile region.…
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Lukoil Romanian Refinery Enters Insolvency
Lukoil’s Petrotel refinery in Ploiești, Romania, is entering insolvency, as international sanctions continue to weigh on the Russian group’s European…
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US Refineries cash in While Europe Shuts Down
U.S. refineries are running close to full capacity and cashing in on exceptionally strong refining margins, while Europe continues to…
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Sinopec Looks Beyond the Gulf for Crude Oil
China’s Sinopec is moving to diversify its crude oil supplies as conflict in the Middle East exposes the risks of…
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How to Make the Chinese Great Again
This article offers a few practical and cultural observations on how Chinese companies and their people can operate more effectively…
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Is TotalEnergies Becoming Overexposed to Renewables?
TotalEnergies is increasingly exposed to renewable electricity, raising questions about whether the French energy major is allocating too much capital…
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Shell Sells European Renewables — and It Makes Perfect Sense
Shell has agreed to sell its European onshore renewables business to TotalEnergies as the British energy major continues to reshape…
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Shell sells US chemical business
Shell is considering the sale of its US chemicals portfolio as part of a broader effort to reduce exposure to…
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Norway Refuses to Run Its Energy Policy From the Berlaymont Cafeteria
Norway has delivered an inconvenient message to Brussels: it intends to keep looking for oil and gas in the Arctic,…
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Philippines Cracks Down on 155 Companies Over Plastic EPR Compliance
The Philippines is stepping up enforcement of its plastic packaging rules, ordering 155 companies to explain their alleged failure to…
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Kazakhstan PP Exports to EU Surge 67% as EU Producers Struggle
Kazakhstan is strengthening its position in the European polypropylene market as domestic production rises and exports to the EU accelerate.
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Chemical Industry Faces Legal and Business Uncertainties in Europe
INEOS’ €4 billion Project ONE ethane cracker in Antwerp is approaching the final stages of construction, but the project continues…
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China Joins the Great Recycled Plastic Treasure Hunt
After nearly nine years of keeping foreign plastic waste at arm’s length, China is reopening its borders to certain recycled…
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South Korea Bets Big on Petrochemicals
While much of the global petrochemical industry is struggling with overcapacity and weak margins, South Korea is making a remarkably…
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The Human Cost of the Bio-on Affair: A Personal Reflection
Looking back at the Bio-on affair today, there is one aspect of the story that deserves more attention: the human…
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Italy’s “Eco” Bags: Who Is Protecting Competition?
The €32 Million Question: Who Protects Competition in Italy’s Bioplastics Market?
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US Builds the Next Oil Route While Europe Destroys the Old One
Sometimes the difference between American and European strategic thinking can be summed up in a pipeline.
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Jim Ratcliffe, Person of the Year 2026
Jim Ratcliffe is the Person of the Year 2026.
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How EU PPWR Bureaucracy Crushes Small Businesses
The EU’s Sustainable Trap: Treating Grandma’s Hobby Shop Like Amazon. Why the New PPWR is the Ultimate Death Blow for…
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Trump Administration Targets Packaging Chemicals
The Trump administration is closing the GRAS loophole to require public disclosure of all food packaging chemicals.
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EU Hits Net-Zero Goals by Exploding Refineries
A satirical critique of the European Union funding infrastructure strikes that trigger global energy spikes, hilariously punishing its own taxpayers…
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The EU Apologizes (Sort Of) for Decades of Legal Poisoning
A satirical double-feature exposing the absurdity of EU regulations, from decades of legally permitting toxic “forever chemicals” in fast-food packaging…
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The Waste Shipment Regulation fairy tale
After decades of treating developing nations as Europe’s personal plastic landfills, a new EU law finally kicked in this May…
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PPWR: And They All Recycled Happily Ever After
A European fairy tale in which every plastic package finds the correct bin, every recycling plant works perfectly, compostable plastic…
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You Can’t Stop Plastic With A Law. Bangladesh Shows Us That We Need To Change The Material
Written by Marco Astorri, founder of Bio-on, this article argues that banning conventional plastics is not enough. Using Bangladesh’s struggle…
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Compostable Plastics: Where Do the Failed Ecotoxicity Tests Go?
This article examines how compostable plastics are tested for ecotoxicity in Europe, who performs these tests, what regulators receive, and…
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The Albanian oil scandal
Albania produces oil. So why are Albanians paying more than €2 a litre at the pump—and where does the country’s…
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Has the EU Turned Mass Balance into a Fraud Magnet?
EU Biodiesel Market Becomes Increasingly Vulnerable to Fraud
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China’s Fuel Export Strategy Gains Speed
China Reinforces Its Position as Asia’s Refining Powerhouse
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European Oil Companies Continue to Outperform Chemical Industry
European oil companies continue to thrive, while the continent’s chemical industry faces mounting challenges. A look at how different policy…
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UK Considers Legal Action Over Benzene Emissions
UK Regulator Considers Legal Action Against Huntsman Over Benzene Emissions
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Trump blasts Exxon, Chevron for making ‘too much money,’ demands lower gasoline prices
Trump Tells Big Oil to Cut Gasoline Prices, Singles Out Chevron CEO
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Germany Needs an Oil Champion
Did Germany make a strategic mistake by never building a global oil and gas champion? This article explores the history…
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BIOME CEO is Bioplastics Most Consistent Communicator
Play the video (LinkedIn Post) BIOME’s CEO has been one of the most consistent voices in the bioplastics industry. Whether…
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BASF Vision on recycling
Mix of technologies required to recycle engineering plastics
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Dow’s €1.1 Billion Lawsuit Could Change Competition Law in Petrochemical Industry
Dow’s €1.1 billion damages claim over the European ethylene buyers’ cartel may prove to be far more significant than the…
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USDA EU Biofuels Intelligence Reports 2026 (€199)
Published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), these reports provide authoritative market intelligence on the European biofuels sector. Limitd
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Zelensky’s position on EU tethered bottle cap (Video)
Zelensky just did the unthinkable: he ripped off the famous EU tethered bottle cap… the one we’re constantly told can’t…
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Is the World’s Biggest Cartel Hiding in Plain Sight?
How Does an Oil Cartel Fit Into a Free Trade Environment?
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Chemical Recycling Bubble Begins to Burst
Chemical Recycling Faces a Reality Check as Projects Stall Across Europe and the US
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Italy says it Recycled more than 75% of Packaging
Italy Recycles Record 77.3% of Packaging, Strengthening Its Circular Economy Credentials
Latest reports
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Bio-on and Danimer Scientific: The Short Sellers Who Worked Together
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Danimer Scientific: Short Sellers, Class Actions and the Collapse of a PHA Pioneer
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Iraq Trucks Oil Through Syria to Bypass Strait of Hormuz
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Bio-on Founder Challenges Conviction Ahead of Appeal
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European Bioplastics and Novamont: Inside the Campaign Against a Competing Plastics Technology