The Clorox Company(CLX)
HQ US55% share
Maker of Clorox bleach and disinfectant wipes. Reported 500% demand spike in 2020; brought on 10 new suppliers; took months to restore supply. Sodium hypochlorite producer.
chemical · input
Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach)
Produced by chlorinating NaOH solution; active ingredient in liquid bleach (Clorox). Unstable in storage, mostly produced and distributed regionally. Dependent on chlorine and caustic soda supply.
5
Source countries
4
Companies
1
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
Goods that need this input
1 essential American goods rely on sodium hypochlorite (bleach) somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Source countries
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| CACanada | 85% |
| ESSpain | 9% |
| CNChina | 3% |
| JPJapan | 2% |
| DEGermany (Federal Republic of Germany) | 1% |
Who makes it
Supplier companies
4 companies produce sodium hypochlorite (bleach).
Olin Corporation(OLN)
HQ US
US chlor-alkali and VCM producer (NYSE: OLN, HQ Stamford CT; ~$6B revenue); the largest US chlorine producer and a major feedstock supplier to the PVC resin industry. Olin does not directly produce PVC resin but produces the chlorine and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) that PVC resin manufacturers (Westlake, Shintech, OxyChem) depend on. Olin's chlor-alkali operations in Freeport TX (the largest chlorine plant in the US), McIntosh AL, Niagara Falls NY, and other sites collectively make Olin the critical upstream enabler of the US PVC supply chain. Olin also owns Winchester ammunition — meaning the same company that produces the chlorine input for PVC pipe also manufactures rifle and shotgun ammunition, a striking dual-use combination under one NYSE ticker. Olin's chlorine pricing directly sets the economics for US PVC resin production.
OxyChem (Occidental Chemical Corporation)
HQ US
Wholly owned chemical subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY, HQ Dallas TX); one of the largest US PVC resin manufacturers, primarily from the Battleground Manufacturing Complex in La Marque (near Texas City), Texas. OxyChem is also one of the largest US chlorine and caustic soda (chlor-alkali) producers, operating in Texas, Louisiana, and Tennessee. OxyChem's PVC resin production is vertically integrated with its chlor-alkali operations — it produces its own chlorine and VCM. The Battleground complex sits on the Houston Ship Channel corridor, approximately 25 miles southeast of Houston, within the densest concentration of US chemical manufacturing. OxyChem's parent Occidental Petroleum carries significant upstream oil and gas exposure, creating financial linkage between crude oil prices and OxyChem's capital spending priorities for chlor-alkali and PVC assets.
Westlake Corporation(WLK)
HQ US
American petrochemical and building products company (NYSE: WLK, HQ Houston TX; ~$14B revenue; Chao family controlled); major US caustic soda producer via its chlor-alkali operations (including former Axiall/PolyOne chlor-alkali assets acquired 2016). Westlake produces NaOH for pulp/paper, aluminum smelting, and chemical applications alongside chlorine for PVC production. Westlake's Houston TX headquarters and Texas/Louisiana Gulf Coast chlor-alkali operations were significantly disrupted by February 2021's Winter Storm Uri — contributing to the 28% US chlor-alkali capacity outage that drove NaOH prices from ~$280/tonne to over $600/tonne. Westlake is the world's largest PVC pipe manufacturer (through its GENOVA Products, Charlotte Pipe, and other brands) — the same company that makes PVC water supply pipes in every new US home also makes the caustic soda in the kraft pulping liquor producing the cardboard that those pipes are shipped in.