Press release submitted on behalf of Arkema.
Born on May 18, 2006, with its listing on the Paris Stock Exchange, Arkema was built around a clear ambition: to become an independent reference player in Specialty Materials. Over twenty years, this industrial and human journey has resulted in the emergence of a global group, among the leaders in its sector and firmly focused on innovation. Driven by strong values, Arkema has relied on the collective strength and expertise of the women and
men who make up the Group to pursue sustainable growth.
“The initial disruptive strategy gave birth to a new player in the chemical industry that few
expected to reach such a level. This journey has been made possible by the commitment of
our teams, the breadth of our portfolio of technologies, as well as the trust and demanding
yet supportive expectations of our customers, partners and stakeholders. These twenty years have demonstrated Arkema’s ability to reinvent itself through bold choices and continuously carry out a deep transformation of its organizational structures and business portfolio, to better serve its customers and address the challenges of modern society,” said Thierry Le Hénaff, chairman and CEO of the Group since its creation. “Today, Arkema
confidently opens a new chapter in its history: 20 years is the age of energy, determination
and limitless possibilities. The Group approaches the future with confidence and reaffirms its conviction that today’s challenges are also opportunities for companies that know how to
seize them”.
An Industrial Success
Arkema’s story is one of transformation. Originally a predominantly European company focused on commodity product lines, Arkema has nearly doubled in size to become, in twenty years, a recognized global leader in Specialty Materials, with a strong financial structure and leading financial and non-financial results.
Specialty Chemicals accounts today for 85% of its sales, compared with 36% at its inception. This deep transformation has been made possible thanks to strong innovation momentum, major investments and very active portfolio management driven by targeted divestments and nearly thirty acquisitions, including Bostik, Coatex, Sartomer, Den Braven, Ashland’s adhesives business and PIAM.
Since 2006, Arkema has started up numerous industrial units in North America and Asia,
enabling the emergence of world-scale platforms notably in Beaumont, Calvert City, Shanghai, Kerteh and Singapore. The Group has thus rebalanced its geographic footprint,
with nearly one-third of its sales generated in each of the world’s major regions, allowing it
to stay close to its customers and demonstrate its resilience in an increasingly complex
international environment.
Arkema’s trajectory over the past twenty years has also been accompanied by strong value
creation for shareholders, in which employees, who now hold nearly 10 % of the shares
capital, have been closely involved. Thus, while the current economic and geopolitical
context is weighing on valuations across the chemical industry, Arkema’s share price has
significantly outperformed the CAC 40 index and the average of its peers, and its TSR* has
reached an increase of around 270% over the twenty-year period.
Sustainable Innovation as a Growth Driver
To strengthen its leadership, Arkema has relied over the past two decades on a strong
innovation capability, a true driver of the Group’s growth in key markets such as clean
mobility, energy efficiency, sports, electronics, healthcare, renewable energies, 3D printing,
etc. Each year, Arkema invests significantly in research and development- more than 3% of sales in 2025 – mobilizing its teams around the world to design increasingly high-performance and sustainable solutions, guided by the ambition embodied in its signature: “Innovative materials for a sustainable world.”
From high-performance polymers to next-generation adhesives, including coating additives
and resins, the Group has progressively established itself as a strategic and indispensable
partner to its customers, working alongside them to develop cutting-edge solutions to
address the challenges of the energy transition and new consumption habits.
A Committed Group
The growth momentum experienced by Arkema has also relied on continuous and significant progress in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The Group has notably made substantial reductions in its carbon footprint and is now
accelerating the development of bio-based and recyclable solutions. Arkema is fully engaged in a demanding greenhouse gas-reduction trajectory validated by the SBTi, which has enabled the Group to reduce its Scopes 1+2 emissions by 67% since 2013.
At the same time, the Group has made significant progress in many non-financial areas,
particularly in workstation safety (with a TRIR** of 0.8 in 2025, compared with 11.3 in 2005), gender diversity – with women representing 31% of senior management and executive positions, compared with 18% in 2015 – and has launched numerous initiatives promoting education, inclusion and diversity, which are at the heart of its societal values.
20 Years on, with the Future Ahead
This anniversary marks a moment of collective pride, yet it is far from being an endpoint.
In a complex global environment full of challenges, Arkema and its 20,000 employees are
approaching the next decade with confidence, ambition and enthusiasm. Building on its strengths and the position it has developed step by step since May 18, 2006, the Group will continue to write its history with the same high standards: combining economic performance, sustainable innovation, and environmental and social responsibility.
It will be able to seize growth opportunities, both geographic and application-driven, offered by its still relatively modest size in several regions and many markets, as well as by its cutting-edge technologies.
For more information, visit www.arkema.com.
