ICIS - chemical podcasts

LONDON (ICIS)--Recent escalations in the US-China tariff war are set to create waves in the Asian and European import markets for methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). Isocyanates Europe editor Zubair Adam and Asia editor Shannen Ng show case the key developments.

LONDON (ICIS)--The European oxo-alcohols and derivatives markets have seen a mix of stable to firm pricing coming into February. Focus is shifting towards what demand trends may look like into the spring months and on current supply disruptions in the market. Glycol ethers report editor Cameron Birch speaks to oxo-alcohols editor and butyl acetate editor Marion Boakye, acrylate esters editor Mat J...

Europe’s petrochemical sector will need to see bold moves in the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal to help reverse its decline. -          May be a conflict between aim of making Europe more competitive and environmental goals -          Europe is in the “last chance saloon” to halt deindustrialisation -          Europe industry burdened by high cost of energy, CO2 -          Improved connectivity for re...

 In this podcast, market editors Zubair Adam (MX) and Miguel Rodriguez Fernandez (PX) discuss the challenges for future demand. 

John Richardson , Market Development Director, hosts this new series of ICIS podcasts focusing on the subject of sustainability, and more specifically, recycling. In this first episode, John speaks to Helen McGeough , Global Plastics Recycling Analytics Team Lead, and Matt Tudball , Senior Editor for Recycling, Europe about how EU regulation is impacting the European recycling market now and in th...

LONDON (ICIS)--Halfway through Q1 - and it is no surprise that there are still a host of challenges facing the phenol, acetone and derivatives chain. These include high energy costs, ongoing poor demand and the uncertainty around future trade flows given fresh Asia capacity and any tariffs – and reciprocal tariffs - from the new Trump administration. Europe ICIS editors Jane Gibson (acetone and ph...

The Global Impact Coalition (GIC) aims to bring chemical companies and value chain partners together to solve challenges on the road to net zero carbon.  -          Collective effort will bring down the cost of sustainable solutions -          GIC is spin off from the World Economic Forum  -          Major chemical company members include BASF, SABIC, Clariant, Covestro, LyondellBasell, Mitsubishi...

Recycled Plastics senior analyst Andrea Bassetti and US Recycled Plastics senior editor Emily Friedman discuss the main takeaways from the latest round of corporate quarterly earnings calls, as they relate to the US recycled plastics industry.

Senior Editor for Recycling Matt Tudball asks Carolina Perujo Holland , Senior Analysts for Plastics Recycling, and Travis Klein , Senior Analyst for PET how the European markets compare to other regions in terms of competitiveness, impacts of regulation and feedstock costs, and what they'll be covering in their presentation at the ICIS PET Value Chain Conference. The ICIS PET Value Chain Conferen...

SINGAPORE (ICIS) --The Trump administration swiftly withdrew financial support for its hydrogen sector, while China is accelerating hydrogen expansion with strong policy backing.  In this podcast, ICIS hydrogen analysts Patricia Tao and Anita Yang discuss how these developments could gradually shift the global hydrogen market’s center of gravity over the next three to five years.

Europe’s petrochemical sector is in the midst of a crisis which EU leaders can solve through bold actions, according to Ilham Kadri, president of Cefic and CEO of Syensqo.    -          More than 11 million tonnes of European chemicals capacity slated to close -          Decline can be reversed with strong EU political action   -          Simplify bureaucracy, lower energy costs, finance low carbo...

What with tough financial results from some producers, the threat of tariffs and upstream price wobbles, 2025 already has a lot to discuss for Europe polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) senior editors. Vicky Ellis and Ben Lake look back on January trends and what's being tussled over for February in contract talks. They touch on LyondellBasell's Q4 results ,  Dow CEO Jim Fitterling's downbeat...

LONDON (ICIS)--Relatively stable demand expectations is anticipated to be met with evolving global supply dynamics within the European acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile (ACN) markets in 2025. In this latest podcast, Europe ABS report editor Stephanie Wix and her counterpart on the Europe ACN report, Nazif Nazmul, share the latest developments and expectations for what lies ah...

Senior Editor, Recycling, Matt Tudball talks to Helen McGeough , Global Recycling Analytics Team Lead about some of the key topics that will be discussed at the upcoming ICIS PET Value Chain Conference on 6-7 March in Amsterdam.  Topics include:  Improving the supply chain for recycled PET Getting access to good-quality feedstocks Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) growing in Europe Impact of high feeds...

As US president Donald Trump revives his trade war, business leaders may seek certainty by switching to local and regional supply chains. -          Businesses need stability, certainty to make investment decisions -          Trade war could drive more national/regional industrial and chemical supply chains  -          But reshoring can be very expensive and time-consuming -          New technolog...

In a changing financial and political landscape, the global base oils market is wavering between new capacity from the east and closely watching the US for new developments. 2025 looks set to pose new questions for investors and market can see changes at the touch of a key stroke. A widening spread between approved and unapproved Group III material A wave of new capacity, with plants particularly...

Women are under-represented in the chemical industry and companies are missing the benefits diversity bring to leadership teams.   -          It could take 50 years for women to achieve gender equality  -          Women under 30 have closed the gender pay gap -          But inequality increases at more senior levels -          Burn out is a major problem for female executives -          Companies...

LONDON (ICIS)--European oxo-alcohols and derivatives markets have been slow to start up in the new year as familiar factors suppress consumption. Players were hoping for reasonable restocking activity this month, following the destocking period that took place in late Q4 2024, but spot activity has been below expectations for many players down the value chain. Oxo-alcohols & butyl acetate repo...

Detailed modelling by Europe’s principal chemicals trade association analyses different potential routes and technologies as the industry moves towards its aim of carbon neutrality by 2050.  -          Report aims to guide chemicals to 2050 EU Green Deal goal of climate neutrality -          Takes into account Scope 1, 2, 3, embedded carbon and end of life emissions -          Modelling covers man...

Asia BDO editor Corey Chew and European BDO editor Yashas Mudumbai discuss the long supply and low demand conditions across the two regions, and whether regular trade flow will resume after the Lunar New Year holidays.

SINGAPORE (ICIS) – Asian spot market for butadiene (BD) saw a bullish start to 2025, as prices in both Chinese yuan and US dollar terms surged dramatically. In this latest podcast, ICIS senior editor Ai Teng Lim and industry analyst Elaine Zhang come together to discuss the factors moving prices and to take a peek into what may lie ahead for downstream demand.  Domestic China prices surge on suppl...

At the end of 2024, the European bioplastics industry met to discuss innovations, barriers to growth and the future outlook for production capacity, demand and changes in legislation. ICIS Recycling Analyst Alexandra Tomczyk attended the conference and updates us on the current state of play for the bioplastics market.  Some of the key takeaways included: Global capacities are set to grow rapidly...

A ceasefire in the Gaza conflict could potentially end attacks in the Red Sea, reopening the Suez Canal and normalising the Asia-to-Europe container shipping route.    -          Gaza ceasefire could stop Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping -          Route via Cape of Good Hope takes 10 days longer than Suez Canal -          Reopening Suez would add 10 days of chemicals inventory to the market - ...

Chemicals leaders must plan for a year in which powerful trends will alter the markets they serve, promising another period of rapid change across the industry landscape.   -          Global overcapacity will get worse this year, ICIS Supply & Demand data shows -          Depressed demand set to continue -          Donald Trump tariffs may change trade flows, fuel inflation -          China ec...

SINGAPORE (ICIS) -- Asia ethylene editor Josh Quah and analyst Aliena Huang talk about the Asia outlook for ethylene arbitrage cargoes for 2025 with markets editor Damini Dabholkar.  Ethylene loadings from US in December continue to favour southeast Asia destinations More intra-Asia tradeflows between northeast and southeast Asia expected for H1 2025 Increasing ethane competitivity and demand may...