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This podcast is brought to you by ICIS, a leading global price discovery service for the oil, energy, fertilizer and petrochemical sectors.
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With Asian chemical producers forced to cut operating rates through lack of Middle East feedstocks, it is time for industry leaders to move to a more regional business model.- Chemical industry has relied for decades on global supply chains- Asia crackers forced to cut operating rates as Middle East raw materials dry up- “Just in time” stocks need to be increased to “Just in case”- CEOs may rethink, consider more local, less vulnerable supply chain options- World may regroup into three trading zones focussed on Americas, China/Asia, Europe- High levels of debt will make companies much more cautious- Trading, pricing of chemicals has become very complicated in chaotic upstream environmentIn this ICIS Think Tank podcast, Will Beacham interviews ICIS Insight Editor Tom Brown and Paul Hodges, chairman of New Normal Consulting.
Europe acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) editor Stephanie Wix, Asia ABS Senior Editor Angeline Soh, and Senior Data Analyst Yolanda Chen discuss the impact of the recently confirmed definitive anti‑dumping duties (ADD's) on ABS imports from South Korea and Taiwan, with host Aviva Zhang, Global Lead for Styrenics and Industry Analyst for Styrene China.The team examines how the duties are reshaping trade flows, the continued weakness in Europe ABS demand, the shifting strategies among Asian producers, and the indirect risks from rising geopolitical tensions on upstream styrene costs and freight routes.
European Commission confirmed definitive anti-dumping duties on 13 February 2026
Taiwan loses further European market share; China sees limited but growing opportunities
European demand remains subdued; buyers reassess import options
Asia sees seasonal demand improvement but lower overall 2026 growth expectations
US–Iran tensions may tighten styrene supply and extend import lead times for ABS and upstream styrene
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia's naphtha inventories are rapidly depleting as the ongoing Middle East conflict disrupts crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint through which around 20% of global crude supply passes.With crude oil exports from the Middle East constrained, naphtha resupply to Asia has tightened sharply. Estimates suggest Asian petrochemical producers are holding just two to three weeks of working inventory, raising concerns that prolonged disruption could trigger run cuts or even major shutdowns if replenishment fails to materialize.In this podcast, ICIS principle analyst Darryl Xu breaks down how the Middle East conflict is constraining naphtha availability to Asia, and the potential downstream impact on steam crackers across the region.
US-Iran conflict disrupts Strait of Hormuz, preventing Middle East crude exports
Asian producers adjust run rates to manage depleting naphtha inventories
Middle East refiners face pressure to export amid limited product containment
The Plastics Recycling Conference has just wrapped up at the end of February in San Diego, California, here is some key insights from the event. Podcast hosted by Senior Analyst Corbin Olson, joined by analyst team lead Andrea Bassetti and analyst Joshua Dill. Key topics covered include: - Shifts in supply and demand for recycled plastics - Impacts of imported recycled plastics on the domestic market- Insights into the pricing dynamics in the US plastics recycling market
ICIS experts discuss the immediate and longer-term impact of the Middle East conflict with rising prices likely to fuel inflation, hurting downstream demand. - Crude oil spike cushioned by reserves, “wait and see” attitude- Duration of war is the key to impact on all commodities- Oil prices could spike to triple figures, trigger talks to reopen Strait of Hormuz- Qatari LNG plant is biggest in the world and has been shut down- Around 20% of global LNG supply has been cut off - Power, carbon prices see changed dynamics- Record high sulphur prices may now move even higher- Other fertilizer prices rising, urea faces particular challenges- Supply shock ahead of planting season will pressure farmers- Food prices likely to rise- Chemical producers may struggle to pass on price hikes, pressuring margins- Lack of Middle East chemicals and feedstocks already hurting Asia, may impact Europe- Europe chemicals could gain if local customers return to more local sourcing during war Navigate to 01:24 for crude oil commentary, 09:43 for natural gas, 17:43 for power, 23:18 for fertilizers and 37:00 for chemicals. In this ICIS Think Tank podcast, Will Beacham interviews ICIS Insight Editor Tom Brown, ICIS head of oil markets Ajay Parmar, ICIS gas editor Ed Cox, ICIS power editor Andrea Battaglia, Andy Hemphill and Deepika Thapliyal from the ICIS fertilizer team and Tom Brown, ICIS Insight editor.
1SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Although upstream crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel oil (PKO) costs have risen in Asia, oleochemicals buyers are adopting a cautious stance, having largely stocked up prior to the Chinese New Year in mid-February, and are not under pressure to lock in near term shipments.The overlying sentiment is one where the oleochemicals prices will be under upward pressure regardless of whether demand is strong enough to support the price hikes, given the compressed margins from escalating upstream costs and spike in freight costs.In this podcast, ICIS senior editor Helen Yan breaks down the impact of the Iran war and escalating military conflict in the Middle East on the Asian oleochemicals markets.
Upstream CPO, PKO prices have risen amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East
Glycerine, fatty alcohols mid-cuts C12-14 spot prices revised up on higher upstream CPO, PKO costs
Players are monitoring the volatile situation, with buyers largely adopting a prudent stance
SINGAPORE (ICIS) – Asia’s base oils market is in a period of adjustment, with narrowing light–heavy grade spreads, rising regional supply and evolving trade relationships reshaping sentiment. Heavy-grade premiums in Group II have sharply corrected, while upcoming turnarounds may lend short-term support to lighter grades. New capacities across Singapore, India and Saudi Arabia are set to heighten competition, alongside China’s growing export ambitions and shifting geopolitical dynamics. Meanwhile, discussions around a potential US–India trade deal and India’s expanding crude sourcing options add further uncertainty to future cost structures and import flows.In this chemical podcast, ICIS editors Michelle Liew and Olivia Dai break down key takeaways from the 30th ICIS World Base Oils & Lubricants Conference and discuss how capacity expansion, changing trade patterns and policy developments are shaping the outlook for Asia’s base oils market.
Light–heavy grade spreads in Group II narrow sharply
New capacities in Singapore, India and Saudi Arabia expected to intensify competition
China’s structural export growth and evolving US–India trade relations to influence future trade flows
LONDON (ICIS)--Europe’s oxo-alcohols and derivatives markets have largely been driven by supply factors and upstream movements, as underlying demand remains subdued on continued wider economic weakness and geopolitical tensions.Oxo-alcohols and butyl acetate reporter, Marion Boakye, joins acrylate esters editor, Mathew Jolin-Beech, and glycol ethers editor, Cameron Birch, to discuss current conditions along the oxo-alcohols value chain.
Join Mark Victory, Senior Editor, Recycling at ICIS as he asks Valentijn De Neve, CEO of BlueAlp and president of industry association Chemical Recycling Europe, and Egor Dementev, ICIS EMEA recycling analytics team lead about mass balance accounting and the future of the chemical recycling industry following the publishing of the Single Use Plastic Directive implementing act.Key topics covered include:
Mass balance accounting rules and how the final version differs from the draft SUPD implementing act
The role of competition with other circular plastic routes and how it might shape chemical recycling's future
What success looks like for chemical recycling in 2026
ICIS assesses more than 100 grades throughout the circular plastic value chain globally – from waste bales through to pellets. This includes recycled polyethylene (R-PE), recycled PET (R-PET), R-PP, mixed plastic waste, agglomerates, pyrolysis oil and bio-naphtha. For more information on ICIS’ recycled plastic products, please contact the ICIS recycling team at recycling@icis.com
The UK chemical industry needs more swift and powerful regulatory support to save it from further erosion as production falls by more than half compared to 2021 levels. - 25 UK chemicals closures since 2021, country now only has one cracker- Massive social impact of closures, often in deprived areas- UK no longer produces some critical chemicals- Lost UK chemical production could reach 55-60% from 2021 levels- UK needs much more powerful government policy shift to save industry- UK chemicals sees toughest business environment for many years- Slight pick up expected in 2026- For 2026, chemicals output forecast to contract in US, tepid growth in Europe, China- India forecast 7% in chemicals output for 2026- More protection needed against China, which has moved up the chemicals value chain and subsidises productionIn this ICIS Think Tank podcast, Will Beacham interviews Stephen Elliott, CEO of the UK Chemical Industries Association and ICIS market development director John Richardson.
LONDON (ICIS)--European ammonia and acrylonitrile (ACN) players are facing supply and demand challenges while regulatory changes, including the recently enforced carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), are further complicating the market picture. In this podcast, European ACN editor Nicole Simpson speaks to global ammonia editor Sylvia Tranganida about the likely outlook for the markets. · European ACN market operating at reduced rates as European industry in decline· Russian ACN imports virtually gone following new EU sanctions in December · China’s ACN overcapacity is growing but infrastructure for exports is lacking · ACN demand set to remain soft, well served by existing contracts · CBAM creating discontent in ammonia market · Ammonia imports into Europe slowing after CBAM enforced· Tight supply in global ammonia market · Natural gas supply a concern for ammonia players · Ammonia demand set to pick up in spring for seasonal reasons
Matt Tudball, Senior Editor, Recycling talks to Carolina Perujo Holland, Senior Analyst Plastics Recycling for EMEA, and Salmon Aidan Lee, Principle for Recycled and Virgin Polyesters in Asia about their highlights from the 2026 PETCORE Europe Annual Conference. The event took place on 5-6 February in Rome, with a packed audience covering both the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and recycled PET (rPET) markets, and much more. Highlights include:
Global PET and polyester overcapacity
Recycling as both challenge and opportunity
EU regulation and uncertainty
Imports and trade impacts
Emerging sustainability drivers across markets
Rapid developments in Asia’s recycling landscape
EU and industry leaders meet in Belgium to call for urgent action to stop and reverse the erosion of the region’s industrial value chains. - New Antwerp meeting of industry leaders and EU leaders aims to speed up moves to save chemicals and other heavy industry- Industry is in crisis and action is required right now to stop further deindustrialisation - EU must move to a federal structure to allow for swift decision-making and more powerful tools to support it- Coalition of the willing to get action without full consensus- Rising tide of regulation needs to be reversed- Criticism of member states for “gold-plating” EU regulations, adding new rules at national level- Proper pan-European energy market is required- Podcast was recorded on Thursday 12 February
LONDON (ICIS)--Europe’s phenol, acetone and derivatives markets have entered 2026 under pressure, with weak demand and rising costs shaping the markets.Jane Gibson covering the Acetone and phenol editor Jane Gibson is joined by Mat Jolin-Beech covering MMA, Heidi Finch senior editor covering the European BPA and epoxy resins, Sam Lovatt covering PC and Michele Bossi - analyst for the chain.
Join Egor Dementev, ICIS EMEA recycling analytics team lead, as he asks Valentijn De Neve, CEO of BlueAlp and President of industry association Chemical Recycling Europe, and ICIS senior editor recycling Mark Victory about Chemical recycling regulation following the passing of the implementing act on mass balance accounting under the Single Use Plastic Directive, and the future of the industry.
The Single Use Plastic Directive (SUPD) implementing act which sets out the mass balance approach for chemically recycled PET
End of Waste Status for pyrolysis oil and the Winter Package
The need for investment in chemical recycling regardless of regulatory clarity
The volume of recycled material needed for food-contact applications by 2030 and 2040
Chemical recycling demand through to 2030
Improving sentiment in manufacturing, especially in the US, raises hopes of a turning point, but industry needs strong action to save it, especially in Europe. - Big jump in US purchasing manager indices (PMIs) with Europe and China moving in the right direction- New report by Roland Berger highlights Europe’s chemicals crisis- Rising costs, poor demand, continue to pressurise margins- New Antwerp Declaration expected next week - Storms, cold weather bring chaos to Europe, disrupting logisticsIn this ICIS Think Tank podcast, Will Beacham interviews ICIS Insight Editor Tom Brown and Paul Hodges, chairman of New Normal Consulting.
LONDON (ICIS)--A mix of regulatory changes, feedstock volatility and global economic factors is transforming the global oleochemicals market.In this latest podcast, senior editors Helen Yan, Eashani Chavda and Lucas Hall and joins markets editor Nazif Nazmul to share the latest developments and expectations ahead of the Palm and Lauric Oils Conference (POC) being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 9-11 February.
Asia crude glycerine up on Indonesia export tax hike to 10%
Adequate US oleochemical supply catering to relatively soft demand
Europe fatty alcohols C12-14 spot prices rise by double-digits, bolstered by PKO spikes
Is China’s polyethylene market heading for a crash or a recovery? In the latest ICIS podcast, senior industry analyst Joanne Wang sits down with Amy Yu , Asian PE lead from Analytical team to dive into the "tug-of-war" defining 2026. Together, they break down how the 6.2 million-tonne capacity surge is clashing with sudden price shocks caused by Middle East tensions.
Europe’s chemical distributors’ margins are under pressure as geopolitics roils the global economy, but they are also flexing to new business models for future growth.- Cost inflation impacting margins for distributors – logistics, energy, labor, working capital - Tougher to pass price increases to customers- Intense competition from cheap imports into Europe- Economic uncertainty affecting customer confidence- New business models needed as the old global world order changes - Distributors, being less asset-heavy, are well placed to adapt to changing trade flows and tariffs- Unstable tariff regimes are bad for demand due to the uncertainty they create- Tariffs can cause a whiplash as flows redirected to other regions
Join Egor Dementev, lead of the ICIS EMEA Recycling Analytics team as he asks Director General of the German Plastics Packaging Association, Martin Engelmann and ICIS Senior Editor, Recycling, Mark Victory about the nuances of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), and why companies need to take action well ahead of the 2030 targets.Key topics covered include:
No political signs suggest PPWR will be delayed or weakened
PPWR roles and responsibilities are complex and often misunderstood
Lack of clarity around regulatory details creats uncertainty for industry
Companies must act now despite unknowns, especially ahead of 2026 deadlines
Recyclability and recycled content will be central to future requirements
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