Shanghai and ParisMay 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On May 18, 2006, Arkema was listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange. From its inception, Arkema established a clear vision: to become an independent benchmark in specialty materials. Over two decades of steadfast progress, this journey, blending industrial evolution with talent development, has helped Arkema grow into a multinational group among industry leaders, unwavering in its commitment to innovation. Driven by strong values, Arkema leverages the collective strength and expertise of all its employees to pursue sustainable growth.
“The bold strategy adopted at Arkema’s founding gave birth to a new player in the chemical industry, at a time when few foresaw its current level of development. This journey has been made possible by the team’s unwavering dedication, a comprehensive portfolio of technologies, and the trust, rigorous demands, and strong support of our customers, partners, and stakeholders. The past twenty years have clearly demonstrated Arkema’s ability to continuously reinvent itself through decisive actions and to drive deep transformations in its organizational structure and business portfolio, thereby better serving our customers and addressing the challenges facing modern society,” said Thierry Le Hénaff, who has served as Chairman and CEO since the group’s founding. “Today, Arkema confidently embarks on a new chapter of development. At twenty, we embody vitality, determination, and boundless potential. The group looks to the future with confidence and reaffirms its belief: today’s challenges are also opportunities for companies that know how to seize them.”
A Model of Industrial Success
Arkema’s story is one of continuous transformation. Initially a company focused on commodity product lines primarily in the European market, two decades later, the group has nearly doubled in size, growing into a globally recognized leader in specialty materials with a solid financial structure and leading financial and non-financial performance.
Today, specialty materials account for 85% of Arkema’s sales, compared to just 36% at the group’s founding. This deep transformation has been driven by strong innovation momentum, significant investments, and a highly active portfolio management strategy—achieved through targeted divestitures and nearly thirty acquisitions, including the acquisitions of Bostik, Coatex, Sartomer, Den Braven, Ashland’s adhesives business, and PIAM.
Since 2006, numerous industrial production plants in North America and Asia have been commissioned, forming world-class industrial bases in Beaumont, Calvert City, Changshu, Kerteh, and Singapore. As a result, the group has further balanced its global geographic footprint, with each of the three major global markets contributing approximately one-third of sales. This positioning allows Arkema to be closer to its customers and demonstrate greater resilience in an increasingly complex international environment.
Over the past two decades, Arkema’s trajectory has also generated strong value for shareholders. Employees are deeply involved, collectively holding nearly 10% of the share capital. Despite current economic and geopolitical pressures on the valuation of the entire chemical industry, Arkema’s stock price has significantly outperformed the French CAC 40 index and the industry average, with a cumulative total shareholder return (TSR) of approximately 270% over twenty years.
Driving Growth through Sustainable Innovation
To solidify its industry leadership, Arkema has leveraged its strong innovation capabilities over the past two decades to drive growth in key markets such as clean mobility, energy efficiency, sports, electronics, healthcare, renewable energy, and 3D printing.
Arkema invests heavily in R&D each year, with R&D spending accounting for over 3% of sales in 2025. Guided by the brand vision “Innovative materials for a sustainable world,” the group mobilizes its global teams to develop higher-performance, more sustainable solutions.
From high-performance polymers to next-generation adhesives, and from coating additives to resins, Arkema has gradually become an indispensable strategic partner for its customers, co-creating cutting-edge solutions to address the challenges of the energy transition and new consumption trends.
A Committed Group
Arkema’s growth momentum also stems from its sustained and solid progress in corporate social responsibility.
The group has significantly reduced its carbon footprint and is accelerating the development and application of bio-based and recyclable solutions.
Arkema actively pursues a rigorous greenhouse gas reduction pathway, certified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Since 2013, the group has reduced its Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 67%.
At the same time, Arkema has made notable progress in several non-financial areas, particularly in workplace safety, with a total recordable incident rate (TRIR) of 0.8 per million hours worked in 2025, down from 11.3 in 2005; and in gender diversity, with women holding 31% of senior management positions in 2025, compared to 18% in 2015. Additionally, the group has launched numerous initiatives promoting education, inclusion, and diversity, which are core to Arkema’s social values.
In Step with the Chinese Market
Zhang Xiaoyu, President of Arkema Greater China, stated: “Arkema China has always been in sync with China’s industrial transformation. Over the past two decades, our team has witnessed and participated in the Chinese market’s shift from scale growth to high-quality development. Facing faster-paced and more diverse industrial demands, Arkema China has become a partner deeply integrated into our customers’ innovation processes, and China is emerging as a key pillar for the group’s future growth areas.”
Changes in China’s industries continuously push materials companies to redefine their roles. With the rapid iteration of sectors like new energy and green mobility, local customers’ expectations for materials have evolved from stable supply to early-stage R&D collaboration and full-scenario validation. Arkema China has grown amidst these changes. Today, China has become the group’s second-largest national market globally, contributing approximately 13%–15% of annual sales.
This growth does not stem from a single investment; it results from the combined accumulation of manufacturing, R&D, and sustainable practices, as well as close synergy with customers and strategic partners in the industrial chain. The Changshu base, Arkema’s largest global industrial site, hosts key production capacity serving China, Asia-Pacific, and global markets. Its Kynar® PVDF plant has undergone four rounds of capacity expansion, with plans to increase capacity by an additional 20% by 2028 to support growing demand in sectors like batteries. On the innovation front, Arkema’s largest R&D center in Asia, located in Changshu, will further strengthen its battery application laboratory, and the Bostik Asia R&D center in Shanghai will complete its second round of expansion and upgrades. Through these comprehensive investments, Arkema China is continuously strengthening its connections with customers and partners, integrating more deeply into local industrial innovation and sustainable development. Beyond industry, the tenth anniversary of the local CSR program “Green Innovation Classroom” extends Arkema’s sustainability commitment in China to education and public engagement.
Twenty Years, Looking to the Future
This anniversary is a moment of pride for all Arkema employees and is far from an endpoint.
Facing a challenging and increasingly complex global environment, Arkema and its 20,000 employees worldwide look to the next decade with confidence, ambition, and passion.
Since May 18, 2006, Arkema has steadily built its strengths and industry position. Building on this foundation, the group will continue to write a new chapter to high standards, achieving synergy between economic performance, sustainable innovation, and environmental and social responsibility. Arkema will be able to seize growth opportunities from geographic expansion and application extension, stemming from its potential for further development in certain regions and multiple markets, as well as its cutting-edge technological advantages.