According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC), global chemical production increased 1.4% in February, the growth rate was slightly slower than January.

ACC's Global Chemical Production Index (CPRI) measures chemical industry output in 33 major countries, subregions and regions, all of which are combined with world totals. Production was low in most regions during February, with an increase in the production of chemical products in the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Asia-Pacific region.

Based on a three-month moving average (3MMA), global total production was up 14.4% year on year. Global production was 132% of the 2012 average. Global capacity was up 0.2%, up 1.9% year on year. As capacity utilization increased, global chemical industry utilization increased by one percentage point to 89.2%, higher than in February.

Freezing weather in mid-February affected chemical production in North America. Production in the region fell 3.3%, with activity improving in Mexico and weakness in Canada. Activity in the region fell 3.9% compared with declines in the United States, Canada and Mexico in the same period last year.