1、Global chemical industry mergers and acquisitions outlook 2023Regaining momentumIntroduction 01Outcomes of the chemical M&A survey 05ESGMaintaining momentum amid competing priorities 09Mergers and acquisitions activity by chemical sector 11Mergers and acquisitions activity by geography 13Summary out

2、look for 2023 mergers and acquisitions activity 18Key contacts 20End notes 23Global chemical industry mergers and acquisitions outlook 2023|Introduction01IntroductionAs highlighted in our 2022 Global chemical industry mergers and acquisitions outlook(2022 Outlook),2022 started with optimism for yet

3、another year of strong mergers and acquisitions(M&A)activity in the chemicals industry.However,despite the seemingly optimistic sentiment,the many headwinds that surfaced throughout 2022 proved too much,resulting in a 21%decrease in the number of global M&A transactions from the 10-year high experie

4、nced in 2021.Aside from 2020,which was impacted by the initial outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic,2022 experienced the lowest level of global chemical M&A volume since 2013(figure 1).Compared to the pre-COVID five-year average(2015 2019),chemical M&A volumes deceased by approximately 12%in 202

5、2.Global chemical industry mergers and acquisitions outlook 2023|Introduction0102Global chemical industry mergers and acquisitions outlook 2023|IntroductionThe year started strong with 158 M&A transactions in the first quarter,but uncertainty created by European geopolitical tensions in late Februar

6、y and its impact on energy prices quickly led to many chemical companies to adopt a more cautious M&A approach.Oil experienced near record levels of volatility during the year with US West Texas Intermediate(WTI)reaching$124/barrel and Brent crude reaching$133/barrel in March before falling back to