Clifford Chance
Our global group of lawyers specialising in the chemicals sector offer services to companies producing and distributing chemicals, biocides, pesticides, etc. all over the world.
As the chemicals sector faces a range of challenges with increasing pressure on margins, regulatory burdens and strong emerging markets all over the world, our global team is constantly finding innovative approaches to meet these with you:
- Advancing corporate objectives such as mergers and acquisitions, new product launches, divestitures, partnerships and Joint Ventures while looking for new efficiencies in the management of standard business processes;
- Structuring and restructuring of industrial or chemical parks;
- Securing patent protection and know-how; R&D agreements;
- Complying with regulatory issues like Industrial Emissions Directive, REACH, CLP, EU Biocides and Pesticides Regulations, Hydraulic fracturing and nanotechnology;
- Digital transformation of supply chains and production lines
- Real estate, environmental and health and safety compliance
- Advising on supply and service agreements to contractually secure commercial success;
- Specific national regulations on pensions and incentives specific to the chemicals industry.
Client experience
- ChemChina on its US$7.7 billion acquisition of Pirelli
- Wendel in relation to the acquisition of the leather chemicals division of BASF SE
- ALTANA on the acquisition of metallography technology from Landa
- Johnson Matthey on the auction disposal of its research chemicals business, Alfa Aesar, for £256 million
- Fujifilm Europe on the sale of its consumables business relating to coatings and pressroom chemicals in EMEA to Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
- Lanxess on the sale of its subsidiary Perlon-Monofil GmbH to Serafin Group
- Braskem on its purchase of Sunoco’s polypropylene business
- Symrise on the €1.3 billion cross-border acquisition of all shares in Kerisper S.A.S., France, the holding company of Diana Group
- Multinational Rockwood Holdings Inc on its joint venture with China's Chengdu Tianqi Industry Group, that will give Rockwood a 49% ownership interest and Tianqi a 51% interest in Australia's Talison Lithium Ltd
- Hanwha Chemical, South Korea, on the asset purchase agreement to acquire Q-Cells SE's headquarters in Germany, its production facilities in Germany and Malaysia and its sales offices in the US, Australia and Japan from Q-Cells' insolvency administrator
- Representing a German chemicals company in arbitration proceedings with a former joint venture partner in Saudi Arabia, including advice on enforcement of arbitration award in Germany
