Chemical
Kemira slashes 2026 profit outlook as cost pressures intensify
Its operative EBITDA outlook has been cut sharply to EUR 400–500 million
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By ICN Bureau | June 12, 2026
Kemira has downgraded its profitability outlook for 2026, warning that surging raw material and logistics costs—driven by the prolonged war in Iran—are hitting earnings harder than previously expected.
In a stock exchange release on June 10, 2026, the company said the cost spike weighed more heavily on its second-quarter performance than anticipated. While Kemira has tried to offset the impact with price increases, it said those adjustments are delayed and have so far fallen short amid weak demand across key customer industries.
As a result, Kemira now expects 2026 revenue of EUR 2,600–3,000 million, unchanged from its earlier range. However, its operative EBITDA outlook has been cut sharply to EUR 400–500 million, down from a previous forecast of EUR 470–570 million. For comparison, 2025 figures stood at EUR 2,753.5 million in revenue and EUR 524.6 million in operative EBITDA.
The company said the downgrade reflects a tougher external environment marked by persistent global economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, which continue to suppress demand in its end markets.
Kemira’s updated assumptions also signal ongoing fragility: weak demand is expected to persist, no further significant increases in raw material or logistics costs are assumed, and operations are expected to remain stable without major supply chain disruptions. The US dollar is also assumed to remain steady.
Earlier guidance had been slightly more optimistic on cost mitigation, assuming Kemira could largely absorb inflationary pressures and a modest weakening of the US dollar.
Despite maintaining its revenue range, the sharp reduction in earnings expectations underscores mounting pressure on industrial chemical producers as geopolitical instability feeds directly into input costs and demand volatility.
