Covestro announced on 15 October 2026 that it intends to close three of the four polycarbonate production lines at its Antwerp site in Belgium and stop producing bisphenol A (BPA), the PC precursor, locally.
The company said the Antwerp polycarbonate business has posted worsening losses since 2022, reaching several tens of millions of euros in 2025, driven by weak European demand, high energy and production costs and persistent global polycarbonate overcapacity.
About 260 of the site's roughly 976 jobs are affected, and Covestro said it would begin the information and consultation procedure with social partners.
Covestro said most of the Antwerp site's other activities will be retained and the remaining PC line will focus on higher-value specialty products. The previously announced aniline production unit at the site will proceed as planned.
CEO Markus Steilemann described the European chemical industry as at a crossroads with severe structural challenges and a fundamentally changed market.
