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 carbon transition

-          EU needs to stimulate demand for low carbon products, create level playing field against global competition 

-          Time to turn words into action through EU Clean Industrial Deal, new chemicals strategy

-          Chemicals CEOs in Europe need to examine their portfolios to identify where they can win against global competitors

-          Europe has a lot to offer – cutting edge technology, talent

-          Region needs a strong economy and that is only possible with strong chemical industry

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 view on demand, early February market trends and ICIS' article about the SE Asia PE plant shutdowns deemed necessary for rebalancing.

Podcast edited by Will Beacham

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 ahead.

ABS is the largest-volume engineering thermoplastic resin and is used in automobiles, electronics and recreational products.

ACN is used in the production of synthetic fibres for clothing and home furnishings, engineering plastics and elastomers.

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: 

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 technologies such as 3-D printing and AI support local production

-          Export-dependent US chemicals have a lot to lose from a trade war  

-          US exported more than 10 million tonnes of polyethylene (PE) to Europe in 2023

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.

ICIS experts Samantha Wright, Mike Conolly and Sophie Udubasceanu discuss the top five drivers to watch in 2025.

Base oils are used to produce finished lubes and greases for automobiles and other machinery.

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 with diverse workforces out-perform  

-          Women deterred from choosing roles which are male-dominated

-          Chemical industry only has 30% female workforce globally 

-          More flexible working arrangements very important 

-          Women in Chemicals aims to help females achieve their ambitions

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 reporter Marion Boakye speaks to acrylate esters reporter Mathew Jolin-Beech and glycol ethers reporter Cameron Birch about conditions down the oxo-alcohols value chain.

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 many types of technologies 

-          Industry will compete with other sectors for access to scarce resources

-          Report models the huge level of investment required 

Click here to download Cefic’s report “The Carbon Managers: Modelling Possible Pathways for the EU Chemical Sector’s Transition Towards Climate Neutrality and Circularity with iC2050.”

ICIS interviews Florie Gonsolin, director industrial transformation projects at Cefic.