Monitoring Supply and Demand in the European Oleochemicals Sector

While inflation in the Eurozone may have decreased during the past month (to an estimated 4.3%, according to Eurostat), July/August/September chemical trades were slower than typical during the summer period in Europe.

Except for some spot fatty alcohol requests across September, the overall demand for agrochemicals, lubricants and antioxidants remains muted as industries are slowly recovering from the challenging economic environment in Europe.

However, to serve evolving customer needs, P&G Chemicals has recently made a new stearyl alcohol grade available with higher C18 alcohol purity, at 99%. This product is also available as RSPO Mass Balance. Samples are available if you are interested in evaluating this, or many of our other oleochemical offerings.

Looking more broadly at the European oleochemicals market, our industry faces potential headwinds and tailwinds that could impact supply/demand balances over the next months. These variables include the possible impact of El Niño on already volatile lauric oils markets, ongoing developments in the EU geopolitical environment, potential effects of higher winter energy prices on production costs, and whether we will see a change in exports from Asia.

Nonetheless, as the world focuses more on sustainability, the European oleochemicals market will continue to evolve and potentially serve a pivotal role in shaping the future of various industries across the continent, driven by both customer needs and regulatory changes.

Meanwhile, we know that you, our customers and suppliers, strive to stay abreast of related business opportunities. We were pleased to have met many of you and discussed some of the possibilities at the recent European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) 57th Annual Meeting in Vienna. Feel free to reach out to us anytime for additional information.