Navigating the shifting landscape of the chemical industry and the global economic climate, Tony Potter and Kurt Barrow from S&P Global join host Victoria Meyer to offer a comprehensive market update for 2025. They delve into the global supply and demand dynamics of feedstocks like oil and NGLs and unpack the impact of geopolitical changes, including the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency. Touching on the Chinese market’s massive capacity expansions and the European chemical industry’s crossroads, this episode provides an insightful analysis of how market forces are reshaping the industry. 

Victoria, Tony, and Kurt explore critical topics such as decarbonization and sustainability, emphasizing the ongoing challenges and advancements in circularity, advanced recycling, and the integration of green technologies. They also discuss strategic responses to global market imbalances and the significance of staying prepared for future investments.  

 

Learn more about the following topics this week: 

• Navigating the chemical industry's perfect storm: massive overcapacity in China, European plants at a breaking point, and North American resilience 
• The tension between sustainability goals and market reality. 
• Changes in leadership and trade policies are reshaping the industry and what smart companies are doing to prepare. 
• Who's actually paying for sustainability initiatives? 
• Looking at Europe's aging chemical infrastructure and how some 50-year-old plants may get a new lease on life due to carbon border adjustments 
• Why industry veterans advise looking past current market conditions and political uncertainties to prepare for growth in the 2030s 

 

"Downturns are just good for pruning... it is the opportunity to make your organization a little bit leaner. We all need to shed costs, but becoming lean is also about becoming fit for future growth. The industry does need to invest to grow... it doesn't matter who the President of the United States is. You're going to build a refinery, an energy plant, or whatever to last 40 years, maybe 50 years. It's going to see a few presidents." - Tony Potter, S&P Global 

 

Other links:  

Download: 10 Leadership Lessons for Chemical Executives 

Download: 7 Trends Shaping the Future of the Chemical Industry 

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