Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
This episode delves into the North American chemical distribution industry's current state, highlighting the significant impact of evolving trade tariffs and high interest rates on investment and M&A activity. Eric Byer explains how distributors adapt by diversifying supply chains and leveraging their logistics expertise, while also addressing the dual challenges and opportunities presented by digitalization and AI, particularly concerning security risks. The discussion also covers regulatory reform efforts and the optimistic outlook for growth in 2026, contingent on stable economic policies and finalized trade agreements.
Mujidah Yahaya, senior price reporter at S&P Global Commodity Insights, and Mark Thomas, senior editor at Chemical Week, join the podcast to discuss key themes from this year K-show, the plastics trade fair in Dusseldorf, Germany. Key themes include ongoing capacity rationalization in Europe, the need for well-designed regulation in the region, and industry's commitment to sustainability and circular economy goals amid macroeconomic pressures.
Steve Elliott, chief executive of the UK's Chemical Industries Association, and Luca Raffellini, executive director/chemical consulting at S&P Global Commodity Insights, join Chemical Week editor-in-chief Ian Young for a discussion of Project 2035, the association's initiative aimed at improving the UK industry's competitiveness. Key discussion points include the need for regulatory reform, relief on high energy costs, and prospective future scenarios for the UK chemicals sector. For more in...
S&P Global Commodity Insights price reporters Esther Ng and Kamna Kapoor join the podcast to discuss the impact of sanctions on the Asian methanol market. They explore the resulting shifts in trade flows, pricing dynamics, and the challenges faced by importers as they navigate the transition from Iranian to non-Iranian methanol sources amid fluctuating demand and inventory levels. They also focus on major adjustments due to the sanctions in the Indian market, as well as the impact in China, ...
Longtime Chemical Week editor Rob Westervelt joins podcast host Vincent Valk for a discussion of the chemical industry's competitive landscape after this week's publication of Chemical Week's annual Billion-Dollar Club ranking. Key topics include the implications of the rise of China, why the industry's leaderboard has been static in recent years, and whether equity markets have an appetite for diversified chemical manufacturers.
Torsten Heinemann, head of group innovation and sustainability at Covestro and member of the Global Impact Coalition's executive committee, joins the podcast to discuss the challenges inherent in using recycled material as a feedstock for specialty plastics. Key topics include why it's so difficult drop new raw materials into a process, bottlenecks to expanding recycling, Covestro's efforts to develop and scale technologies in this area, and the importance of cross-industry collaboration.
Chemical Week's Ian Young and Vincent Valk join S&P Global Platts' Daniel Pelosi and host Jameson Croteau for a discussion of Q2 earnings season. Key topics include tariff impacts, the capacity overhang in petchems, what companies are saying about the outlook, and variations in end-market demand.
Chris Jahn, CEO and president of the American Chemistry Council, joins the podcast to discuss major issues facing the US chemicals sector and the outlook for the rest of the year. Key topics include the evolving role of industrial policy, Trump's tariffs and regulatory reforms, and producer sentiment for the rest of the year.
Christopher vom Berg, executive manager of the Renewable Carbon Initiative, a think tank and consultancy, joins the podcast to discuss a report on pathways for Europe's chemical industry to transition away from fossil-based carbon. Key topics include whether such a transition can actually boost Europe's competitiveness, the correct balance between incentives and regulation, and how to create markets for new products. The full report is available here: Policy Proposals for Facilitating the Transi...
S&P Global Commodity Insights research directors Andy Orszynski and Yazmine Khan join price reporter Daniel Pelosi to discuss the outlook in Europe after June 10's European Petrochemical Luncheon in Munich. Key topics include ongoing capacity rationalization, what LyondellBasell's cracker divestiture means for efforts to sell European assets, and whether there is any case for optimism in the industry. This episode was recorded on June 20, and references some recent events.
S&P Global Commodity Insights experts Adam Bland and Kevin Micoine join Chemical Week specialties editor Sotirios Frantzanas and host Vincent Valk to discuss the role of specialty chemicals in industrial policy. Key topics include how sustainability and decarbonization goals intersect with specialty chemicals, how the industry can grow to supply critical sectors like semiconductors, and the impact of trade tensions the complex supply chains for specialties.
Joe Dettinger, vice president/manufacturing and commercial programs at specialties trade group Socma, joins the podcast to dicuss the impacts of trade tensions and uncertainty on specialty chemical producers. Key topics include how companies are contending with supply chain issues, the impact of uncertainty on demand, and whether the recent softening of tensions has meaningfully improved the outlook.
Ian Young, Vincent Valk and Daniel Pelosi join host Jameson Croteau to discuss key takeaways from first-quarter earnings season for chemicals. The impact of tariffs is a major theme, with producers flagging significant uncertainty despite relatively few changes to official outlooks. This episode was recorded on May 7, before the US and China struck a temporary deal to reduce tariff rates.
Chemical Week editors Rob Westervelt, Mark Thomas and Clay Boswell join the podcast to discuss key takeaways from this year's World Petrochemical Conference. Key themes include ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, including tariffs, the evolution of energy transition, European capacity rationalization, the long-term outlook for feedstocks. This episode was recorded on March 24, and references some recent events.
S&P Global Platts price reporters Mujidah Yahaya and Andre Mikhail join host Vincent Valk to discuss the impact and implications of the Trump administration's drastic new tariffs on the petrochemicals sector. Topics include the impact of rolling uncertainty on markets, the potential for major shifts in trade flows, and how tariffs could further weaken an already-soft demand environment.
Dow CEO Jim Fitterling and S&P Global Commodity Insights co-president Mark Eramo chat with Chemical Week editor Rob Westervelt at 2025's World Petrochemical Conference. Topics include the market outlook, the role of energy transition in an era of geopolitical tension, and a glimpse of the chemical industry's long-term future.
Clay Boswell, Chemical Week's Americas markets lead, and Mark Thomas, Chemical Week's European markets lead, join the magazine's editor-in-chief Rob Westervelt for a discussion on the state of the petrochemical industry ahead of the World Petrochemical Conference hosted by S&P Global Commodity Insights and held in Houston from March 17-21. Topics in this podcast include the significant downturn in global operating rates, geopolitical tensions due to US tariffs, and the need for capacity rati...
Eric Appelman, Aduro Clean Technologies ' chief revenue officer, joins S&P Global senior price reporter Daniel Pelosi and S&P Global chemicals market reporter Tareen Kazi for a discussion on circular recycling. Topics include advanced recycling challenges faced by region, how to improve economic scalability of advanced recycling, and the importance of creating incentives and a market for circular products. The Chemical Week podcast is the industry's premier platform for wide-ranging disc...
Chemical Week markets editor, Mark Thomas, sits down with Editor in Chief Rob Westervelt for a discussion around the evolving landscape of the petrochemical industry amid the energy transition. Topics include petrochemicals as a crude oil demand driver, technologies buildout needed for the energy transition, and how major chemical companies are planning to reduce emissions in the years ahead. The Chemical Week podcast is the industry's premier platform for wide-ranging discussion of issues impac...
Valentijn De Neve, CEO of BlueAlp, a company specializing in pyrolysis and chemical recycling technology, joins the podcast with S&P Global Commodity Insights editors Daniel Pelosi and Dias Kazym for a discussion on the European chemical recycling landscape in 2025. Topics include technology advancements, advanced recycling competitiveness against virgin polymers and what is needed among stakeholders to drive the chemical recycling market forward.
Chemical Week executive editor Ian Young and markets editor Mark Thomas join editor-in-chief Rob Westervelt to discuss the current state of the chemical sector in Europe and China and what both regions need to focus on as 2025 begins. Topics include Europe's challenges of high energy costs, weak demand, and global overcapacity. In China, substantial government stimulus has spurred activity in construction and specialty chemicals, although trade tensions with the US and overcapacity in petrochemi...
Woldemar D'Ambrieres, Arkema's global market manager for batteries, joins Chemical Week's Vincent Valk for a discussion on the state of the battery sector. Topics include Arkema's recent acquisitions, the challenges of the dynamic pace of technology developments, as well as the state of the battery market by the end of the decade. The Chemical Week podcast is the industry's premier platform for wide-ranging discussion of issues impacting the global chemicals sector, hosted by the editors of Chem...
Jiryes Haddadin, S&P Global pricing specialist EMEA chemical and polymers, and Mark Thomas, Chemical Week's markets editor, join with Abdulaziz Ehtaiba, S&P Global petrochemicals pricing manager, for a discussion ahead of the 18th annual Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association Forum in Muscat, Oman. Topics centered around the challenges facing the Middle Eastern petrochemical market, which include increased competition from Asian producers, slowing global demand and continued infla...
S&P Global market reporters Tara Olaleye, Paulina Wiener and Daniela Morales join Chemical Week's Rob Westervelt to discuss the impact of recent Federal Reserve interest rate cuts on petrochemical and polymer markets, particularly in housing and construction; the cautious optimism for recovery in 2025; and the current levels of consumer confidence. The panel emphasizes that despite some positive indicators, significant market improvements are unlikely until mid-2025, as high inflation and on...
S&P Global Commodity Insight's Daniel Pelosi, EMEA chemicals editor; Aleksandra Zhagrina, EMEA petrochemicals associate editor; and Chemical Week's executive editor Ian Young join Chemical Week's Rob Westervelt for a discussion of the recent European Petrochemical Association annual meeting and the state of Europe's chemical industry. Topics include the challenges facing the European petrochemicals, the need for industry restructuring and innovation, and the potential impacts of regulatory c...
Corey Tyree, CEO of Trillium Renewable Chemicals, joins Chemical Week's Vincent Valk for a discussion of on Trillium's partnership with INEOS, the production methods behind Trillium's new bioacrylonitrile, and how start-ups can scale successfully towards commercialization. The Chemical Week podcast is the industry's premier platform for wide-ranging discussion of issues impacting the global chemicals sector, hosted by the editors of Chemical Week and S&P Global Commodity Insights. Subscribe ...
Dorothee Arns, director general of European Association of Chemical Distributors (FECC), joins S&P Global Commodity Insights' senior commodities pricing specialist Abdulaziz Ehtaiba ahead of FECC's annual congress for a discussion of the stat of European distribution. Topics include how disruptive geopolitical events exacerbated the industry's weak demand and poor production margins, how distributors are focusing on improving their supply chain excellence to navigate these challenges, and ho...
Vincent Valk, senior editor at Chemical Week, joins the magazine's Rob Westervelt for a discussion surrounding Chemical Week's Billion Dollar Club 2023 rankings. Topics include a challenging year marked by double digit percentage drops in operating income and revenues, China's continued position as the industry's center of gravity, and how M&A and sustainability will play a role in rankings to come.
Chemical Week's Rob Westervelt and S&P Global Commodity Insights' Neirin Gray Desai and Mujidah Yahaya join the podcast to discuss key takeaways from second-quarter earnings season and read the tea leaves for the rest of the year. Key topics include the diminishing prospects for recovery in stalled demand, the coming of capacity rationalization in Europe, and the possible impact of a sluggish operating environment on industry's investment plans.
Louis Besland, partner and head of chemicals practice at executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, joins Chemical Week's Rob Westervelt for a discussion of CEO succession and talent management in the industry. Topics include building a diverse talent pipeline, the evolution of skill sets needed for effective leaders, and the need for future-oriented thinking around CEO succession.
