A Development is resuming the implementation of its flagship project, Richert & Park, in the Podil district of the capital, and is expected to sign a memorandum with the city to fix investment commitments, the company’s press service told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to the updated concept, the construction area within Nyzhnyoyurkivska, Kyrylivska and Mylniy Lane streets will be reduced by almost 40 thousand square meters. A 5.85-hectare park with a cultural and sports center will be built on the newly formed site.
The implementation of the Richert & Park project in its rethought concept will provide the local community with relevant infrastructure functions, open a new page in the history of the monument complex after the completion of their restoration, and the 5.85-hectare park area, in addition to our patronage initiative to create a vertical park, will become the property of the entire city, providing local residents with landscaped green areas that are so lacking in Podil,” said A Development owner and CEO Oleksiy Baranov.
Currently, A Development is at the final stage of signing a memorandum with the city represented by Podil District State Administration, which sets out the developer’s obligations in relation to the territory.
The obligations include compliance with the height limits agreed with local residents during public hearings on the project; investment of UAH 40 million in the renovation of a school chosen by the local community; a set of restoration works on architectural monuments for which the developer has signed protection agreements; and improvement of the territory adjacent to the construction site.
The company undertakes to finance a project to create a public park on the slopes of Mount Yurkovytsia with an area of 6.5 hectares. UAH 40 million has been allocated for this purpose.
This vertical park will include walking areas and viewing terraces and will remain on the balance sheet of Kyivzelenbud for the care, preservation, and development of the green zone. The urban analysis and development of the park concept are currently being finalized. The team of Vlodko Zotov’s GA Initiative Architecture Bureau is working on the project. The next step will be to submit the concept for public discussion.
A Development also reported that, pending the signing of the memorandum, construction work has already resumed, but only within the queues where the maximum height of buildings does not exceed 27 m, for which the developer has a full package of permits. The team of Andriy Pashenko’s architectural studio is updating the concept of the fifth and sixth stages. Its presentation will be announced later.
A Development was established in 2017. Among its completed projects are the multifunctional residential complexes Smart Plaza Obolon, Smart Plaza Polyteh, and the Smart Hub Obolon business center. As of 2024, the company continues to build a shopping mall in the White Lines project, the residential sections of which were completed and put into operation during the full-scale invasion. A Station is among the completed projects of renovation of historical real estate.
In January-October 2024, Kokhavyno Paper Mill (KPM, Lviv region), which produces sanitary paper products, increased its production by 78.3% year-on-year to UAH 1 billion 711.5 million, according to statistics from UkrPapir Association.
As reported, in the first nine months of the year, the mill’s production growth was 75.1% compared to the same period in 2023, and in the first eight months it was 67%.
According to the association’s statistics provided to Interfax-Ukraine, in physical terms, the production of the base paper for sanitary products at the factory increased by 39.5% to 48.2 thousand tons during this period.
The output of toilet paper in rolls amounted to 113.5 million units, having increased slightly in January-October 2023. KPF confidently ranks second in terms of its output after Kyiv CPP.
As reported, in October last year, Kokhava Pulp and Paper Mill put into operation a paper machine for the production of cellulose base paper (previously, it produced only waste paper). To organize such production in 2021, the mill attracted a EUR 13.8 million loan from the EBRD.
Kokhava Pulp and Paper Mill, which has been operating since 1939, produces base paper for sanitary and hygiene products, as well as toilet paper and paper towels. Before the new machine was put into operation, the mill had two paper machines with a total capacity of 40 thousand tons of base paper per year.
In 2023, the factory increased its production by 18% compared to 2022, to UAH 1 billion 151.2 million, and its net profit increased 2.7 times to UAH 137 million.
The agricultural holding Continental Farmers Group is completing the harvesting of the late crop group, for which more than 93 thousand hectares were allocated in the 2024 season, the press service of the agricultural holding reported.
According to the report, Continental has already harvested sunflower from an area of 13 thou hectares, soybeans from 46.5 thou hectares, potatoes from 1.8 thou hectares, sugar beets from 3.2 thou hectares, and is completing threshing corn from 28.5 thou hectares. For all major crops, the company managed to achieve the appropriate quality indicators and exceeded the planned yield.
In addition, Continental has also completed sowing winter crops for the 2025 harvest and sowed 85.2 thousand hectares.
According to Georg von Nolken, CEO of Continental Farmers Group, the agricultural holding’s team has coped with its production targets and achieved the planned results in its operations.
“We continue to work in difficult, unpredictable conditions: we sow and harvest crops, support the national economy and local communities at a time when both the internal situation in the country and the circumstances on foreign markets pose serious challenges to the agricultural business. Effective technologies, well-established processes and reliable support from a strategic international investor allow Continental to remain stable and even grow in such conditions,” Georg von Nolken emphasized and added that the company managed to achieve its goals thanks to teamwork.
According to the agroholding, in the 2024 season, Continental expanded its storage capacity and bought a 120 thsd ton elevator in Lviv region. In addition, the company created its own railroad fleet of 250 grain cars. This allowed Continental to start developing a new business area in the region – trading – and to develop its own logistics and infrastructure.
The agricultural holding also upgraded its agricultural machinery fleet and carried out the planned modernization of its potato and elevator facilities.
“Next year, the company will stick to its existing production strategy: the priority is to continuously improve operational efficiency, technology, advanced agronomic practices, sustainable development and regenerative production approaches,” Continental summarized.
Mriya Agroholding and CFG, united under the name Continental Farmers Group, have been operating as a single business since November 2018, when Mriya entered into an agreement with international investor Salic UK to sell its assets.
Salic was founded in 2012. Its sole shareholder is the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which invests in agricultural and livestock production.
In October 2024, TAS Insurance Group (Kyiv) paid UAH 191.1 million under the concluded insurance contracts, which is 56.1% more than the amount of the company’s indemnities for the same month in 2023.
According to the insurer’s website, more than a quarter of the total volume of payments, or 28.8%, accounted for hull insurance – UAH 54.8 million, which is 41% higher than the corresponding figure for October 2023, for MTPL – 28.9%, or UAH 55.3 million (+ 16.7%), for Green Card – 23.4%, or UAH 44.8 million (3.5 times more).
The share of VHI in the company’s claims portfolio amounted to 15.3%, or UAH 28.9 million (+44.1%) in October.
Under other insurance contracts, the company paid UAH 7.38 million (+2.6 times).
TAS Insurance Group was registered in 1998. It is a universal company offering more than 80 types of insurance products in various types of voluntary and compulsory insurance. It has an extensive regional network: 28 regional directorates and branches and 450 sales offices throughout Ukraine.
Despite the general shift from TV to digital services, DW maintains a strong presence in Ukraine via linear television – also thanks to a successful partner strategy.
A reach study on media consumption in Ukraine, conducted between May and June 2024, shows that online platforms such as Telegram have become central sources for news consumption, while TV usage is declining significantly. This is mainly due to a loss of trust in the nationwide TV stations, which have merged their news offerings into the so-called news marathon. Nevertheless, 10% of the adult population in Ukraine watch DW’s TV programs every week. Thanks to TV cooperations with local partners, DW reaches 7% of Ukrainians every week, while up to 5% of weekly usage is accounted for by DW’s own channel.
The most used DW program is “Reporter”, which reaches 4% of the population in Ukrainian and an additional 1% in Russian every week. Other programs such as “Global Us” (2%), “Tomorrow Today” (2%) and “Focus on Europe” (1%) achieve their reach primarily through their Ukrainian editions. The use of the programs is balanced across the regions of Ukraine.
In addition to linear channels, DW is also successful on online and social media platforms in Ukraine. Between March and August 2024, DW’s Ukrainian YouTube channel achieved 2.6 million monthly views, while its Russian channel reached 3 million in Ukraine. On Facebook, the Ukrainian channel has reached 2.6 million views per month. The DW website is also widely used in Ukraine, with around 1 million visits per month.
The data collected confirms the increasing awareness of international media in Ukraine, particularly since 2019 and the Russian invasion: according to a survey, 29% of respondents in Ukraine are familiar with DW.
The reach study was designed by DW Market and Audience Insights and conducted on site by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in May/June 2024 by means of a telephone survey. The study collected representative data for the Ukrainian population aged 18 and older, with the exception of the Russian-occupied territories. Over 2,000 respondents took part in the survey.
According to a December 2023 study by forsa GmbH on media use among Ukrainian refugees in Germany, DW enjoys high levels of awareness and trust.
Source: https://corporate.dw.com/en/dw-reaches-around-10-of-adults-in-ukraine-weekly-via-tv/a-70794278
Plastic production in Europe in 2023 decreased by 8.3%, according to the industry organization Plastics Europe. According to its managing director, Virginia Janssens, the decline was stronger than expected.
At the same time, global plastic production grew by 3.4%, in particular due to the scale-up of production in China and the United States. According to S&P Global, China accounted for 60% of the growth in petrochemical capacity last year.
The share of European suppliers in the global market will decline to 12% in 2023 from 28% in 2006. In addition, due to declining demand, the volume of mechanical plastic recycling in Europe last year fell for the first time since 2018, Plastics Europe noted. This is the most common recycling method in the region.
In October, the industry organization Plastics Recyclers Europe pointed out the alarming nature of the downward trend in the European plastic recycling market, which is why many companies are leaving it. Among other things, the market is under pressure from an oversupply of virgin plastic outside Europe.
Businesses are also dissatisfied with European legislation aimed at achieving ambitious climate goals. According to the companies, it is “stifling growth,” the FT writes. American ExxonMobil (SPB: XOM) and Saudi Arabia’s SABIC this year announced their intention to close petrochemical plants in Europe. LyondellBasell, Versalis, and Trinseo are also going to close their sites or revise their plans for them.
