Outlook
We continue to anticipate positive developments for EMEA (excluding the UK), North America and Asia, improving during the year, while Latin America is expected to stabilize. Market trends will remain challenging for the marine and oil and gas industries.
We have improved our ability to respond to developments in our markets and continue taking appropriate measures, including structure to drive operational excellence and additional cost control, to deal with higher raw material prices in an inflationary environment.
We continue to expect EBIT for 2017 to be around €100 million higher than 2016, as a result of growth momentum and continuous improvement, assuming no further material changes in market and economic dynamics, including foreign currencies.
Please refer to our website for more information on our ambitions and the strategic focus areas.
Protecting the world’s oceans
AkzoNobel has joined forces with The Ocean Cleanup and will provide advanced coatings technology for the equipment which will be used for the largest clean-up in history. The company has also become an official sustainability partner of the 2017/2018 Volvo Ocean Race, with a specific focus on turning the tide against plastic in our oceans.