Chemical Week

Vincent Valk, a senior editor at Chemical Week, shares insights on the 2023 Billion-Dollar Club rankings. He discusses the significant drop in revenues and operating incomes faced by the industry. Valk highlights China's growing dominance, particularly with firms like Sinopec reshaping the market landscape. The conversation also touches on the impact of mergers and acquisitions, the decline of former leaders like DuPont, and the complex interplay between capital expenditures and sustainability efforts in the chemical sector.

Rob Westervelt, a contributor from Chemical Week, joins experts Neirin Gray Desai and Mujidah Yahaya from S&P Global Commodity Insights to decode the chemical industry's climate. They discuss the troubling decline in demand, especially in Europe, and its effects on construction and chemical sectors. With rising costs and strategic plant shutdowns, the duo highlights the cautious investment climate. They also tackle the sluggish lithium market and the investment shifts towards hydrogen technology amid uncertain economic conditions.

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.

S&P Global Commodity Insights reporters Mark Astley and James Burgess join Chemical Week's Mark Thomas and Jameson Croteau for a discussion of the clean ammonia market. Key themes include difficulties in getting projects off the ground, the role of regulatory uncertainty and financing incentives in developing the market, and the ambiguities around whether blue ammonia is truly 'clean.'

Sophie Casenave, policy affairs manager at environmental trader and consultancy Strive by STX, joins the podcast to discuss the the latest alphabet-soup of climate regulations. These include the EU's new reporting directive, some new reporting rules in the US, and carbon border mechanisms in the EU. We discus what the different rules mean for industry, how reporting and regulatory requirements are changing, and the impact of new rules on chemical companies' decarbonization strategies. 

Exploring the role of PFAS in renewable energy, the podcast delves into regulatory challenges, Chemours' clean tech investments, and the potential impact of a chemical ban on the energy transition. Insights on fluoropolymers, fluorinated gases, and collaborations highlight the need for science-based regulations and responsible production practices.

Christian Krueger, head of global sustainability and advocacy for chemical recycling at BASF, joins S&P Global Commodity Insights editors Abdulaziz Ehtaiba and Iris Poon for a conversation about chemical recycling. Topics include the key differences between chemical and mechanical recycling, the investment environment for chemical recycling in the US and Europe, and the role of legislation and governments to incentive a maturing industry.

Thomas Watters, managing director/oil, gas and chemicals at S&P Global Ratings, joins the podcast to discuss the intersection of credit conditions and the industry's outlook. Topics include the impact of 'higher-for-longer' interest rates, what Europe's weak operating environment means for credit, and the impact of China's relentless capacity additions.

CW editor Jameson Croteau joins the podcast to discuss Chemical Week's net zero tracker and the industry's so-far-fitful progress towards reaching its climate goals. Topics include regional differences in goal-setting and the gap between the targets and implementation. You can check out Chemical Week's net-zero tracker here: https://chemweek.com/document/show/phoenix/5077186/Push-for-net-zero-plateaus-in-2023-While-industry-makes-strides-to-curb-Scope-3-implementation-lags-behind-ambitions

Dow CEO Jim Fitterling and Evonik deputy chairman Harald Schwager chat with Chemical Week editor-in-chief Rob Westervelt about their views on chemical markets for 2024, energy transition, European competitiveness, and Dow's net-zero cracker in Alberta. The interviews were recorded live at the 2024 World Petrochemical Conference in March.