Brussels, 28 January 2026 – I am honored to take the lead on Cefic’s operations, extending my role from Legal Affairs to all support services enabling Cefic to thrive as a leading trade federation. With the current economic challenges, my aim is to further build resilience within the organisation and continue the best quality of service for our members.
Marco Mensink, Cefic’s Director General said:
“It’s no longer a question of being five minutes before or after twelve. The sector is under severe stress and breaking. The rate of closures has doubled in a year, and even worse, annual investments are half and close to zero. On both sides, the speed is accelerating, not slowing. We need decisive action this year, with impact at factory floor level.”
This report underlines the human and economic impact of the ongoing wave of closures. In addition to the 20,000 direct job losses, an estimated 89,000 indirect jobs are at risk across Europe, reflecting the chemical industry’s central role in regional value chains.
At the same time, new investment has slowed dramatically. Annual announced investment capacity fell from 2.7 Mt in 2022 to just 0.3 Mt year-to-date in 2025, amounting to approximately 7 Mt in total over 2022–2025. This drop reflects a shift from broad investment across multiple innovation pathways – like electrification, hydrogen feedstocks, and circular plastics – to barely one pilot initiative.
With closures now significantly outpacing new investments, the European chemical industry is contracting. This trend points to deepening uncertainty for the sector and raises serious questions about Europe’s ability to maintain a competitive, resilient industrial base.
Background
The European Chemical Closures & Investments Radar 2022-2025, commissioned by Cefic and prepared by Roland Berger, offers a structured, evidence based view of major shifts in Europe’s chemical landscape: plant closures, capacity changes, and investment trends.
Based on industry input and publicly available data, it identifies patterns, drivers and impacts on competitiveness, supply chains and regional ecosystems.
The Radar will be updated every quarter and twice a year we will publish a summary that turns key trends into clear insights for policymakers and industry leaders.