Synthos rebuffs media reports on Russia sanctions position

Oswiecim, Poland - Synthos has responded to reports that the company is lobbying for an EU ban on Russian synthetic rubber (SR) imports in a new round of sanctions against the Putin regime.

Among other points, media coverage has linked Synthos’ reported position on Russian sanctions to its planned restart of a butadiene rubber plant at its site in Schkopau, Germany.

In a statement supplied 13 Feb to ERJ, the global SR supplier said that Synthos’ position “can only be understood by those who see the effects of the Russian invasion on a daily basis.”

Therefore, Synthos “will continue its unwavering support to Ukraine as long as many of our colleagues and local suppliers are still hosting Ukrainian refugees and the people of Ukraine are facing Russian aggression.”

Synthos then went on to emphasise that the recommissioning of the 30 kilotonnes per annum butadiene rubber plant in Schkopau involves nickel BR. 

“As far as we know, the butadiene rubber produced in Russia is NdBR, TiBR and LiBR,” according to the Polish-based company's statement. 

Synthos concluded: “A presumed link between the restart of our NiBR plant and our support for Ukraine is, therefore, not appropriate in our view.”