“Our industry lies at the heart of the ecological and social transition”

Industry is a driver for progress, a means of transformation and a pillar of sustainable development. But it still divides opinions in too many countries. It is important to change this perception and state loud and clear that industry—and the chemicals industry in particular—generates innovations and offers solutions to the challenges of the environmental and energy transition.

Technology and the chemicals industry are not at odds with the environment. On the contrary, they are its strongest allies. Our responsibility is not limited to the environment. The chemicals industry contributes greatly to the economy—it generated global revenues of around $5 trillion in 2024—and plays a key role in social and regional cohesion.

Our companies feed into all industrial sectors: transportation, construction, electronics, consumer goods and more. They hire and train people and engage with the community in the many regions where they operate.

My vision for Arkema reflects this vision of the contribution of chemicals, especially materials chemistry. We can make a positive impact on today’s world through our innovations, our commitment to society and our technologies. This is an opportunity and a source of pride for our people.

Arkema’s objective is to make a positive contribution to society, supporting our customers’ innovations with high-performance, stand-out solutions and meeting the social and environmental needs of our various stakeholders.

"We have one of the most ambitious Climate Change Plans in the chemicals industry."

But our efforts go beyond our product portfolio and innovation. We have one of the most ambitious Climate Change Plans in the chemicals industry. By 2030, we will have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions (scopes 1 and 2) by 50% and our scope 3 emissions by 67% compared to 2019, on our way to net zero by 2050.

We are also stepping up our commitment to society by working towards greater diversity and inclusivity in our organizations. We aim to have 35% women among senior management and executives by 2030.

We continue to strive for excellence in safety, with a workplace injury rate that is already among the best in the industry (0.8 per million hours worked) and continues to improve, with a target of 0.7 by 2030.

We are guided by a strong culture that is rooted in both high standards and a caring culture, driven by our five core values: solidarity, performance, simplicity, empowerment and inclusion. I am deeply committed to these values. They are not empty words; they are the foundation of our identity and enable us to attract, develop and retain the right people to accompany us on our journey.

The future is also shaped by the younger generations. They are hungry for challenges, engagement and purpose. They want to build, innovate and transform. We must listen to them, welcome them and give them what they need to build a better world.

Inclusion is not a concept; it is a belief. At Arkema, it is a core value, a people-centered principle based on respect, tolerance and openness.

It fosters our capacity to innovate and gives our company the power to adapt and evolve. It also guides our sponsorship activities. We need diversity at every level in the workforce and in the executive team. It enriches our relationships with our partners, customers and other stakeholders. We must use it to leverage creativity and commitment. Diversity in people’s backgrounds, opinions, skills, generations and experiences is a strength and a driver of success.

Our company must have the most inclusive and balanced ecosystem. It must be a place where every talent can thrive, where every voice counts, and where diversity is a source of excellence and progress.

For many, the past year will be remembered as one of the most challenging ever for the chemicals industry. A weak macroeconomic environment, particularly in Europe, put our sector to the test. Nevertheless, Arkema held its ground thanks to its cutting-edge technologies, its complementary product portfolio, divided into three coherent segments—Adhesives, Advanced Materials and Coating Solutions—and its balanced global footprint.

Despite the challenges, our performance remained solid, with volumes up 2.4% (3.1% in our specialty materials) and an EBITDA margin of 16.1%. These figures demonstrate our ability to maintain a high level of profitability in any economic environment.

Looking beyond the numbers, 2024 was very busy. We continued to implement our long-term strategy, announced in September 2023, with the completion or advancement of a number of attractive projects. As we turn the page on this complex year, one thing is certain: our resilience, our commitment and our ability to innovate will drive our success in 2025 and beyond.

2025 will bring many challenges in an uncertain external environment, both economically and geopolitically. But it is in adversity that we outdo ourselves, and we have everything we need to move forward with purpose. 

More than ever, in 2025 we need to be:

• Agile, to adapt rapidly to market developments.
• United behind our One Arkema culture, offering customers in our key markets the best solutions in our three segments: Adhesives, Advanced Materials, and Coatings Solutions.
• Excellent in implementing our projects, from the integration of our recent acquisitions (Ashland’s engineering adhesives in the US, the Korean company Piam, and more recently, Dow’s laminating adhesives) to the development of new production lines in our three key regions.
• Competitive, by accelerating our cost-cutting initiatives.
• Ambitious, by accelerating the growth and development of new businesses.

2025 will be another exciting year that should allow us to accelerate towards our 2028 goal!