ICIS - chemical podcasts

Matt Tudball , Senior Editor, Recycling talks to Carolina Perujo Holland , Senior Analyst Plastics Recycling for EMEA, and Salmon Aidan Lee , Principle for Recycled and Virgin Polyesters in Asia about their highlights from the 2026 PETCORE Europe Annual Conference. The event took place on 5-6 February in Rome, with a packed audience covering both the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and recycled P...

EU and industry leaders meet in Belgium to call for urgent action to stop and reverse the erosion of the region’s industrial value chains.  -          New Antwerp meeting of industry leaders and EU leaders aims to speed up moves to save chemicals and other heavy industry -          Industry is in crisis and action is required right now to stop further deindustrialisation  -          EU must move t...

LONDON (ICIS)--Europe’s phenol, acetone and derivatives markets have entered 2026 under pressure, with weak demand and rising costs shaping the markets. Jane Gibson covering the Acetone and phenol editor Jane Gibson is joined by Mat Jolin-Beech covering MMA, Heidi Finch senior editor covering the European BPA and epoxy resins, Sam Lovatt covering PC and Michele Bossi - analyst for the chain.

Join Egor Dementev , ICIS EMEA recycling analytics team lead, as he asks Valentijn De Neve , CEO of BlueAlp and President of industry association Chemical Recycling Europe, and ICIS senior editor recycling Mark Victory about Chemical recycling regulation following the passing of the implementing act on mass balance accounting under the Single Use Plastic Directive, and the future of the industry....

Improving sentiment in manufacturing, especially in the US, raises hopes of a turning point, but industry needs strong action to save it, especially in Europe.  -          Big jump in US purchasing manager indices (PMIs) with Europe and China moving in the right direction -          New report by Roland Berger highlights Europe’s chemicals crisis -          Rising costs, poor demand, continue to p...

LONDON (ICIS)--A mix of regulatory changes, feedstock volatility and global economic factors is transforming the global oleochemicals market. In this latest podcast, senior editors Helen Yan, Eashani Chavda and Lucas Hall and joins markets editor Nazif Nazmul to share the latest developments and expectations ahead of the Palm and Lauric Oils Conference (POC) being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia fr...

Is China’s polyethylene market heading for a crash or a recovery? In the latest ICIS podcast, senior industry analyst Joanne Wang sits down with Amy Yu ,  Asian PE lead from Analytical team to dive into the "tug-of-war" defining 2026. Together, they break down how the 6.2 million-tonne capacity surge is clashing with sudden price shocks caused by Middle East tensions.

Europe’s chemical distributors’ margins are under pressure as geopolitics roils the global economy, but they are also flexing to new business models for future growth. -          Cost inflation impacting margins for distributors – logistics, energy, labor, working capital  -          Tougher to pass price increases to customers -          Intense competition from cheap imports into Europe -       ...

Join Egor Dementev , lead of the ICIS EMEA Recycling Analytics team as he asks Director General of the German Plastics Packaging Association, Martin Engelmann and ICIS Senior Editor, Recycling, Mark Victory about the nuances of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), and why companies need to take action well ahead of the 2030 targets. Key topics covered include:  No political signs s...

LONDON (ICIS)--Europe oxo-alcohols and derivatives markets have seen a subdued start to 2026. With a challenging 2025 now behind us, and the New Year underway, there were hopes of restocking and improvements in demand, as well as overall market conditions. Acrylate esters editor Mathew Jolin-Beech speaks to oxo-alcohols and butyl acetate editor Marion Boakye and glycol ethers editor Cameron Birch...

SINGAPORE (ICIS) -- China's domestic acrylonitrile (ACN) prices fell to over five-year lows early this year. Overcapacity, weak demand and sustained margin pressure loomed over the value chain, encouraging players to rebalance.  In this chemical podcast, Asia ACN editors Seymour Chenxia and Corey Chew take a look at recent China and broader Asian ACN market movements, discuss the short-term foreca...

LONDON (ICIS)--Sluggish demand, a complex tariff landscape and geopolitical instability are key talking points in the Europe and US epoxy markets. In this podcast, Heidi Finch who covers the Europe epoxy market and fellow senior editor Tarun Raizada who covers the US epoxy market share insights on tariff uncertainty, ongoing demand and margin concerns in a troubled climate. Tariff and trade haze c...

The whip shaw over tariffs relating to the Greenland dispute highlights the need for chemical companies to plan for a world of rising geopolitical instability.  ·         Trump’s tariff swings deepen uncertainty for global chemical trade ·         EU–US deal stalls, exposing fragile trade negotiation structures ·         Davos leaders warn of weakening global institutions and alliances ·         C...

Despite widespread geopolitical instability around the world, the most severe period of crude oil oversupply ever will depress prices, latest ICIS forecasts show.    -          For 2026 global oil markets are in the largest period of oversupply we have ever seen -          Oversupply forecast by ICIS at 3 million barrels/day out of a roughly 100 million barrels/day market -          China oil dema...

BARCELONA (ICIS)--EU leaders seem to recognize the need for action to reverse deindustrialization, but it risks being too little, too late for chemicals. EU chemicals regulation needs ambitious reform, not tinkering at the edges Chemical companies continue to close operations in Europe, partly driven by regulatory costs Expect a review of Reach regulation and “one substance one assessment” part of...

LONDON (ICIS)--Europe oxo-alcohols and derivatives markets have seen a subdued level of activity in December amid ample supply across derivative markets and sluggish demand. For 2026, many remain sceptical surrounding the prospect of demand recovery tied in part to the potential of infrastructure spending and any resolution to ongoing geopolitical issues. Glycol ethers editor Cameron Birch speaks...

In the second of a two-part Sustainably Speaking podcast special, Helen McGeough , ICIS Global Analyst Team Lead for Plastics Recycling talks to long-standing veterans of the European recycling industry about the current state of the market and steps for the future. In Part 2, Helen is joined by Bernard Merkx who has an extensive background in the recycling industry and is the former President of...

With the prospect of global overcapacity easing from around 2030, Middle East petrochemical players are debating how to monetise their plentiful natural gas supplies.  Middle East producers plan a major new capacity wave after 2030 ,  Long‑term strategy centres on monetising hydrocarbons beyond 2030 China’s overcapacity cycle may ease by around 2030,  Debate about staying focused on simple, large‑...

In the first of a two-part Sustainably Speaking podcast special, Helen McGeough , ICIS Global Analyst Team Lead for Plastics Recycling talks to long-standing veterans of the European recycling industry about the current state of the market and steps for the future. In Part 1, Helen speaks to Dr Michael Scriba about the current downturn in Europe's recycling sector and discusses topics such as: Wha...

Remarks by French president Emmanuel Macron suggest a tougher approach to protecting Europe as global chemicals move towards a 2028 bottom of cycle.  -          Ethylene, propylene capacity additions to accelerate, peak in 2027  -          2028 bottom of the cycle, project delays could push this out to 2029 -          2000-2028 almost 75% of global capacity additions for key building blocks have b...

Asian spot prices for butadiene (BD) are rebounding, after a prolonged period of declines, as supply tightens on various unplanned grounds, but the supply losses may be minimised if China exports rise.  Join ICIS Asian BD editors Elaine Zhang and Ai Teng Lim, as well as Senior Analyst Ann Sun, as they discuss current Asian BD market developments and a near term outlook.  

Since the US Liberation Day, chemical prices and margins have plummeted, while tariffs are also accelerating the end of existing globalised business models of trade.  -          Tariffs are altering decades of globalized trade patterns, pushing economies toward protectionism -          Chemical prices and volumes have plummeted since Liberation Day on 2 April -          Export-oriented business mo...

China has a huge impact on the global chemical industry in terms of supply and demand so analysis of future demographic and economic trends is important for business leaders.  -          Huge variation in forecasts for changes in population -          Chemicals demand growth scenario planning is vital -          Must take into account China’s success in technology and exports -          Demand boo...

LONDON (ICIS)--Europe’s oxo-alcohols and derivatives markets remain structurally weak, as participants keep inventories lean or actively destock, further reducing spot market activity. Market participants are now prioritizing inventory management and 2026 contract talks, with fundamentals expected to remain largely unchanged through year-end. Oxo-alcohols and butyl acetate reporter, Marion Boakye,...

The decision by ExxonMobil to close its ethane cracker in Scotland shows there is a need for faster action by lawmakers across Europe and more innovative thinking to safeguard the region’s chemical industry.    -          ExxonMobil to close its 830,000 tonnes/year, ethane-fed Fife Ethylene Plant  -          Questions over availability of North Sea ethane to feed the plant -          Around $1 bil...