2025 was another brutally tough year for European industry in general – and for the chemical industry in particular. The old fossil logic is clearly running out of gas. There is no credible path back to cheap energy, unlimited emissions, and the old business as usual.
What is more worrying is that Europe now risks losing the future as well as the past. While European debate often gets stuck in defending legacy assets, China is moving fast, not only in conventional chemicals, but increasingly in bio-based and biomanufactured ones.
If Europe has one defining task for 2026, it is this: to actively build the market for the chemistry of the future. That is a task industry and policymakers must attack together. That means creating demand, de-risking investment, and rewarding fossil-free solutions at scale. If Europe wants a competitive chemical industry in the next decade, the focus must shift from preserving the old to enabling the new.
At Sekab, this future is not theoretical – it is already commercial. We produce and deliver fossil-free chemicals at industrial scale in Europe today, and we see clear movement across our markets. More customers are moving from curiosity to commitment, integrating bio-based solutions into real products and real value chains.
We are heading into 2026 more optimistic than most chemical companies and we look forward to meeting even more partners who have reached the same conclusion.
We may dream of a white Christmas, but the future must be green.
Emil Källström
CEO
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