In this special episode of the GPCA Podcast held on the sidelines of the 18th Annual GPCA Forum in Muscat, Oman, Ross Baglin, CEO, Interface Polymers Limited, sat down with Dima Al Horani, Head of Communications and Public Affairs, GPCA, to share what it means to be shortlisted in the Circular Economy category of the inaugural GPCA Startup Nexus and how the company’s technology is advancing plastics recycling globally. 

In this special episode of the GPCA Podcast held on the sidelines of the 18th Annual GPCA Forum in Muscat, Oman, Mais Haddadin Finn, Global Sustainability Lead, NexantECA, spoke to Dalal Alhooli, Business Monitoring & Planning Analyst, PIC, and Member of the GPCA Youth Council, about the challenges and opportunities that faced the market in 2024 and how the chemical industry can prepare for a more prosperous and sustainable year ahead.

In this special episode of the GPCA Podcast held on the sidelines of the 18th Annual GPCA Forum in Muscat, Oman, Nadja Håkansson, CEO, thyssenkrupp Uhde, met with Hamad Qaed, Field and Supervision Engineer, Bapco Refining, and Member of the GPCA Youth Council, to discuss the importance of innovation and what it means to her, her plans for the company in 2025 and everything in between.

In this special episode of the GPCA Podcast held on the sidelines of the 18th Annual GPCA Forum in Muscat, Oman, Dr. Christian Kohlpaintner, Chairman and CEO, Brenntag, sat down with Hamad Qaed, Field and Supervision Engineer, Bapco Refining, and Member of the GPCA Youth Council, to discuss agility and resilience in the chemical distribution industry.

In this special episode of the GPCA Podcast held on the sidelines of the 18th Annual GPCA Forum in Muscat, Oman, Jai Shroff, Chairman and CEO, UPL, sat down with Dalal Alhooli, Business Monitoring & Planning Analyst, PIC, and Member of the GPCA Youth Council, to discuss food security and sustainable agri-nutrient production. 

In this special episode of the GPCA Podcast held on the sidelines of the 18th Annual GPCA Forum in Muscat, Oman, Benny Mermans, Chairman, World Plastics Council, sat down with Dalal Alhooli, Business Monitoring & Planning Analyst, PIC, and Member of the GPCA Youth Council, to discuss the INC-5 in Busan and its implications for plastics producers.

In this special episode of the GPCA Podcast held on the sidelines of the 18th Annual GPCA Forum in Muscat, Oman, Aidin Sadr, Vice President, Corporate Development,

In this special episode of the GPCA Podcast held on the sidelines of the 18th Annual GPCA Forum in Muscat, Oman, Lama N. Al Otaibi, Learning and Development Specialist, EQUATE Petrochemical Company, and Vice Chair of the GPCA Youth Council, sat down with Dima Al Horani, Head of Communications and Public Affairs, GPCA, to share the latest updates about the GPCA Youth Council and what were some of the Council’s key initiatives and achievements in 2024.

Ammonia is a key component in the green energy transition. A chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, ammonia is a vital raw component in the production of numerous key nitrogen compounds. It is produced worldwide, with its most common use being agri-nutrients, considered as the cornerstone of food security in today’s landscape.

Historically, ammonia has been produced through Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC), a process utilized in ammonia production plants to convert crude oil in order to extract the hydrogen atoms and convert it into ammonia. The traditional process releases high amounts of CO2 to the atmosphere. The production of ammonia where CO2 is released to the atmosphere is labelled as grey ammonia. Globally, countries and industries pledged to reduce their CO2 emissions to combat climate change. In order to combat climate change, countries have pledged to net-zero production after the climate change conference in Paris 2015. In an attempt to reduce the CO2 emissions resulting from ammonia production, the CO2 product gets captured. This reduces the CO2 emissions as the CO2 can be stored or utilized instead of releasing it to the atmosphere. Producing ammonia while capturing the CO2 is labelled as blue ammonia. 

Ammonia has the potential to become an important zero-carbon fuel for maritime shipping, as well as an energy and transport carrier given its higher volumetric energy density compared to hydrogen. What are the enablers and challenges in producing blue and green ammonia? What is the chemical industry’s role in driving the energy transition and where do we stand today on our journey to net-zero? To answer these questions and more, Mohamed Almoosawi, Mechanical Supervisor, GPIC, and Co-Chair of the Sustainability Sub Council, GPCA Youth Council, sat down with Munif Al Munif, General Manager, T&I, SABIC Agri-Nutrients, to shed more light on this important topic and get the latest updates.

Today, the WTO has 166 members and 23 member countries with observer status. Between them they account for 98% of world trade in goods & services. The global integration of economies has been a key driver of global GDP growth, but it has also introduced instabilities as the benefits of globalization have not been uniformly distributed across societies. As a result of this, there have been winners and losers at the global stage, leading to varying levels of economic prosperity. This disparity has sparked debates and movements advocating for more localized and protectionist economic policies which lead to barriers that can reverse certain elements of globalization. This has the potential of impacting the chemicals trade, with drastic ramifications for the GCC region, which is largely export-oriented.

To address these questions and more, GPCA has bought together two leading industry experts, Lisa Schroeter Senior Government Affairs Director, Dow | Member, GPCA International Trade Committee and John Mathew Vice President, Business Development Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS, a Dow Jones Company, in conversation with Mohamed Zaman Senior Committees Affairs Specialist, GPCA, who delve into the implications of deglobalization on trade. Drawing upon their extensive experience, they address:

- The challenges and opportunities in chemicals trade today