Arkema inaugurates a unit at Carling that reduces the site's carbon intensity by 20%
The new acrylic acid purification unit improves energy efficiency of the process by 25% and reduces carbon intensity of the site's operations by 20%, according to the group's statement of October 8, 2026. The chemicals company is positioning this within its decarbonization investment program, with the ceremony held in the presence of an executive vice-president of the European Commission.
A decarbonization program that could reach 400 million euros by 2030
Arkema presents this facility as a component of its decarbonization investment program, which supports the implementation of its climate plan. According to Thierry Le Hénaff, chairman and chief executive officer, this program could represent a cumulative amount of 400 million euros over the period 2022-2030. The executive specified that the Carling unit is among the group's most significant industrial projects in France. The site produces acrylic monomers intended for performance coatings, adhesives, water treatment, and other advanced materials. According to the group, the deployed process also enables optimization of resource and waste management, while significantly reducing solvent consumption. Arkema indicates that this unit places it among Europe's most competitive players and strengthens its position in the low-carbon acrylic materials market.
A project decided in 2023 and cofinanced by France 2030
Decided in 2023, the project was partly financed by the French state under the France 2030 program, operated by ADEME, with funding from the European Union under NextGenerationEU. The inauguration took place in the presence of Stéphane Séjourné, executive vice-president of the European Commission responsible for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. It coincided with the general assembly of the Critical Chemicals Alliance, which brought together industrial leaders and European political officials around issues of sovereignty, competitiveness, and decarbonization. "Europe must keep its chemical industry," declared Stéphane Séjourné, who presented the Carling site as an illustration of a model consisting of "decarbonizing without deindustrializing." Arkema, which achieved revenues of approximately 9.1 billion euros in 2025, employs 20,700 people in some 55 countries.
