SearchOur History
SABIC has become an industry leader, building on strong foundations, expanding global presence and driving continued transformation.
Foundation and establishment
The 1970s
1976 – SABIC established by royal decree to convert waste natural gas to valuable chemicals
1979 – Hadeed founded to supply metal products under the SABIC brand
The 1980s
1980 – Ar-Razi formed as a single-commodity affiliate in the first step to becoming a global player in methanol
1980 – Joint ventures established with Shell and ExxonMobil
1981 – Joint venture established with Mitsubishi
1983 – First products exported out of Saudi Arabia
1984 – First shares listed publicly on the Saudi Stock Exchange
Readiness for
growth
The 1990s
1990 – National shipping company, National Chemical Carriers (NCC), formed
1992 – Four affiliates become the first companies in the Middle East to receive ISO 9002 certification
1994 – SABIC Technology Center Riyadh established
1996 – SABIC becomes the Middle East's largest joint stock company with sales revenues exceeding SAR 19 Bn. (US$ 5.1 Bn.)
1997 – SABIC's share of the world petrochemical market estimated at 5%
GLOBALIZATION
The 2000s
2000 – SABIC's product sales span over 100 countries
2001 – Jubail United Petrochemical Company established
2002 – New SABIC global headquarters building opens in Riyadh
2002 – Acquisition of DSM Petrochemicals
2004 – SABIC share value increases 170% from 2003 to 2004
2005 – Yansab established by royal decree
2005 – SABIC becomes the world's 11th-largest petrochemical company and is ranked 331 on the Fortune Global 500
2006 – Acquisition of Huntsman Petrochemicals UK
2007 – Acquisition of GE Plastics
2009 – Joint venture with SINOPEC established in China
INNOVATION
The 2010s & 2020s
2011 – First public environmental targets established; first sustainability report published
2012 – SABIC Academy inaugurated
2014 – Joint venture established with SK chemicals in South Korea
2016 – Home of Innovation™ inaugurated
2017 – Joint venture with ExxonMobil, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures, established
2018 – Acquisition of 24.99% stake in Clariant AG
2019 – TRUCIRCLE™ launched
2020 – Saudi Aramco acquires a 70% stake in SABIC
2020 – SAFCO becomes SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company
2020 – World's first shipment of low-carbon ammonia in collaboration with Saudi Aramco
2021 – Carbon neutrality ambition announced
2021 – New corporate building in Jubail inaugurated
TRANSFORMATION
2022 Onward
2022 – BLUEHERO™ launched
2022 – Acquired full ownership of Scientific Design
2022 – Announced divestment of Functional Forms
2023 – Divestment of metals business Hadeed
2024 – Inauguration of the world's first electrically-heated steam cracker furnace with BASF and Linde
2024 – Divestment of Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) stake
2025 – Launched new transformation program, targeting a US$ 3 Bn. EBITDA impact
2026 – Announced divestment of SABIC's Engineering Thermoplastics (ETP) business
2026 – Announced divestment of SABIC's European Petrochemicals (EP) business