LONDON, April 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ICIS (www.icis.com ), the leading provider of analytics and market intelligence for the global energy, chemicals and fertilizer sectors, today calls for entries for its 16^th annual ICIS Innovation Awards (www.icis.com/awards), designed to recognise outstanding technological and business innovation in the chemical industry.

ICIS is pleased to announce that BASF (www.basf.com), one of the world's leading chemical producers, is once again the overall lead sponsor for the Awards.

"As the most innovative company in the chemical industry, BASF has long been developing solutions for the biggest challenges of our time, and has enjoyed great success in doing so," says Detlef Kratz, president of process research & chemical engineering at BASF.

"We are continuously working on many more innovations to improve people's day-to-day lives and we would like to share this spirit with those who work on innovations in the chemical industry.

"For this reason, we are honored to support the ICIS Innovation Awards again this year and acknowledge the teams and people behind contributions for a sustainable future. We are optimistic that brilliant minds will come up with outstanding ideas. We wish all of them great success," added Kratz.

US chemical distribution company Maroon Group (www.maroongroupllc.com), continues as a category sponsor, supporting the Innovation with Best Benefit for Environment and Sustainability category. Professional services company Accenture (www.accenture.com), will sponsor the Best Product Innovation category.

John Baker, ICIS Innovation Awards manager at ICIS, comments: "We are delighted to have the continued support of all three sponsors again, a sign that the Awards continue to be successful in their goal of highlighting the importance of innovation in the chemical industry.

"The awards continue to gain industry support and recognition and last year attracted a high level and quality of entries. We once again look forward to highlighting the very best of innovation in the chemical industry."

Celebrating success

The ICIS Innovation Awards enable companies to celebrate their success in innovation and the increasingly important areas of sustainability and environmental performance.

There are four categories to enter:

• Best Product Innovation – sponsored by Accenture
• Best Process Innovation
• Best Innovation by a Small or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME)
• Innovation with Best Benefit for Environment and Sustainability – sponsored by Maroon Group.

The ICIS Innovation Awards are now open to entry, with a deadline for entries of 1 July 2019. The winners will be announced in October 2019.

For more information or to enter the awards, visit www.icis.com/awards.

For further information contact:
John Baker
Global editor, ICIS
Tel: + +44-20-8652-3153
Email: john.baker@icis.com
Web site: www.icis.com

ABOUT ICIS

ICIS is the world's largest petrochemical market information provider, with divisions spanning energy and fertilizers. Our aim is to give companies in global commodities markets a competitive advantage by delivering valuable information and analytics tools that enable our customers to identify and react to opportunities in markets that are constantly evolving.

We have more than 30 years' of experience in providing pricing intelligence and news, forecast data, market analytics and independent consulting to buyers, sellers and analysts.

With a global staff of more than 600, ICIS has employees based in London, Houston, New York, Singapore, Dubai, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Mumbai, Tokyo, Karlsruhe, and Milan.

ICIS' team of journalists is engaged in reporting market prices and news, and ICIS is fully committed to upholding the highest journalistic principles of verification, corroboration and authentication. ICIS has a compliance framework that along with its methodologies and business processes adheres to the requirements of the IOSCO PRA Principles.

ICIS is a division of Reed Business Information, part of RELX.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 122,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world.

Our portfolio is organised into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care, and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €63bn in 2018. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the US.

For further information contact:

Dr Kathrin Frosch
Tel: +49-621-6--42754
Email: kathrin.frosch@basf.com
Web site: www.basf.com

About Maroon Group LLC

Maroon Group is a world-class supplier of specialty chemicals and ingredients across North America focused on creating value for customers in a diverse range of end markets. Our business is structured to leverage an infrastructure of industry-leading technology, value-add services, global sourcing & logistics network, and a commitment to Creating Customer Success®.

For further information, contact:

Mike McKenna
President/Chief Operating Officer
Maroon Group
Tel: +1-440-937-1000
Email: mmckenna@maroongroupllc.com 
Web site: www.maroongroupllc.com

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialised skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world's largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 477,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives.

For further information, contact:

Guy Cantwell
Tel: +1-281-900-9089
Email: guy.cantwell@accenture.com
Web site: www.accenture.com

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SOURCE ICIS