MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) is produced in few large-scale plants in Europe, Nord-America and Asia. The companies BASF Polyurethane, BorsodChem / Wanhua, Covestro, DOW and Huntsman are producers of MDI. Several production facilities have encountered technical difficulties in the last months. According to an article of the expert information agency for the plastics industry “KunststoffWeb”, plants from Nord-America are currently experiencing delivery shortfalls as a result of force majeure. The reason is the flood, which affected the suppliers and led to closure of the cargo terminal due to safety concerns. In succession of the technical faults, supply shortages at MDI [...]

The combined European metals industry looks forward to an ambitious Circular Economy Package supporting growth, innovation, competitiveness and jobs. Some challenges and opportunities to an improved circular management of metals are described in the common position paper "Boosting the circular management of metals". Seeking a better recognition of the role of metals in the context of the Circular Economy, the Association of European Producers of steel for packaging (APEAL), the European Steel Association (EUROFER), the European Association of Metals (Eurometaux), Metal Packaging Europe (MPE) and Metals for Buildings (MFB) have come up with a Joint Metals Press Release.