Dunavant, a provider of logistics and supply-chain management services, has expanded its presence in Houston.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration's annual energy outlook - which was released earlier this spring - anticipated that the industrial sector's energy demand would outpace all other sectors through 2040, and a just-released EIA report projected that bulk chemicals would account for a "large portion of both consumption and anticipated growth," with the value of chemical shipments increasing from $288bn in 2013 to $429bn in 2025.

Despite facing global headwinds, American chemistry expanded at a healthy 2.0 percent growth rate in 2014, and is expected to reach a 3.7 percent gain in output in 2015, before hitting 3.9 percent in 2016, according to the Year End 2014 Chemical Industry Situation and Outlook, published by the American Chemistry Council (ACC). The report's consensus is that U.S. chemical output will continue to expand well into the second half of the decade, exceeding that of the overall U.S. economy.

Verify Brand, active in supply chain security software systems, says its new Verify Platform, a piece of advanced serialization, traceability and authentication software, could stop illegal, dangerous and counterfeit chemicals from entering a manufacturer's supply chain.

A huge opportunity exists to develop new, safer materials as companies look to phase out hazardous substances and textiles from their supply chains.