2026 marks Arkema’s 20th anniversary!
Founded on May 18, 2006, upon its initial public offering in Paris, Arkema was built with a clear ambition: to become an independent leader in Specialty Materials. Over the past 20 years, this industrial and human journey has given rise to a global group that ranks among the leaders in its sector and is firmly focused on innovation.
Driven by strong values, Arkema has drawn on the collective strength and expertise of the men and women who make up the company to build sustainable growth.
“The disruptive strategy we adopted from the outset gave rise to a new player in the chemical industry that few expected to reach such heights. This journey was made possible by the commitment of our teams, the quality of our technology portfolio, and the trust and high standards of our customers, partners, and stakeholders.
These twenty years illustrate Arkema’s ability to reinvent itself through bold choices and to continuously drive a profound transformation of its organizational structures and business portfolio, addressing the challenges of modern society.
Today, Arkema is opening a new chapter in its history: 20 years is the age of energy, determination, and endless possibilities. The Group looks to the future with confidence and reaffirms its conviction: “Today’s challenges are also opportunities for companies that know how to seize them.”
Thierry Le Hénaff, CEO of Arkema
Discover the key dates that have shaped Arkema’s history
An industrial success story
Arkema’s history is one of transformation. Originally a predominantly European company focused on commodity products, Arkema has nearly doubled in size over the past 20 years, becoming a recognized global leader in Specialty Materials, backed by a solid financial structure.
Specialty Materials now account for 85% of our revenue, compared to 36% when we were founded. This evolution was made possible by a strong drive for innovation, major investments, and active portfolio management driven by targeted divestitures and nearly thirty acquisitions, including Bostik, Coatex, Sartomer, Den Braven, Ashland’s adhesives, and PIAM.
Over the past 20 years, Arkema has also built numerous industrial facilities in North America and Asia, enabling the emergence of world-class 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 in each of the world’s major regions, enabling it to be as close as possible to its customers.
Sustainable innovation as a driver of growth
To cement its leadership, Arkema has relied on a strong capacity for innovation, a true driver of growth in key markets such as sustainable mobility, energy efficiency, sports, electronics, healthcare, and renewable energy...
Each year, Arkema invests nearly 3% of its revenue in R&D 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, as well as additives and coating resins, the Group has gradually established itself as a strategic and indispensable partner for its customers in developing cutting-edge solutions to address the challenges of the energy transition and changing consumer habits.
A group committed to CSR
Arkema’s growth momentum has also been driven by continuous progress in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
In particular, the Group has significantly reduced its carbon footprint and is now accelerating the development of bio-based and recyclable solutions.
Arkema is fully committed to a rigorous greenhouse gas reduction trajectory validated by the SBTI, which has enabled it to reduce its Scope 1+2 emissions by 67% since 2013.
At the same time, the Group has made significant progress in many non-financial areas, particularly in workplace safety (with an TRIR* of 0.8 in 2025 compared to 11.3 in 2005), gender diversity, with 31% of women in senior management and executive roles compared to 18% in 2015, and has launched multiple initiatives promoting education, inclusion, and diversity, which are at the heart of its social values.
* TRIR: Total recordable injury rate per million hours worked
20 years on, and the future ahead
This anniversary marks a moment of collective pride, but is by no means an end in itself.
In a complex and challenging global environment, Arkema approaches the next decade with confidence and ambition.
Building on its strengths and the position it has built step by step since May 18, 2006, the Group will continue to write its story with the same commitment: to combine economic performance, sustainable innovation, and environmental and social responsibility. It will seize the opportunities for growth—both geographic and application-based—offered by its still modest size in several regions and many markets, as well as its cutting-edge technologies.
Twentyful? An original name to embody Arkema’s culture and the spirit of its 20th anniversary
Twenty years is still young for a company: it is the age of enthusiasm, momentum, and vision. And Arkema’s story has only just begun!
To give substance and energy to this anniversary year, Arkema unveiled the “Twentyful” concept on May 18, created to inspire a collective spirit during the celebrations that will be held at its sites around the world.
“Twentyful” is a word we coined, but it says it all: the pride we take in our journey marked by numerous successes and the confidence we have in our future. It also conveys our gratitude to our employees for what we have accomplished together over the past 20 years. “Above all, ‘Twentyful’ symbolizes our strong ambition for the next decade, which is full of promise,” summarizes Thierry Le Hénaff.
