July 22, 2025 12:57

LyondellBasell has joined Shell, OMV, BASF, TotalEnergies and Dow in seeking damages from four chemical companies—Clariant, Orbia, Celanese and Westlake—that were fined in 2020 by the European Commission for forming a cartel in the ethylene purchasing market.

The Commission found that the companies colluded to drive down prices by exchanging commercially sensitive information with suppliers.

LyondellBasell has now filed a lawsuit in the Amsterdam District Court, seeking €1.6 billion in damages.

In an official statement, Switzerland-based Clariant strongly denied the allegations and pledged to vigorously defend its position throughout the proceedings. “The company has substantiated economic evidence that the conduct of the parties did not produce any effect on the market,” the statement said.

The EU investigation began with unannounced inspections in May 2017. According to the Commission, the four companies cooperated from late 2011 to March 2017 to manipulate the Monthly Contract Price (MCP) of ethylene to their advantage.

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