The choppy economic backdrop, unprecedented growth of global polyolefins capacity, and how Europe can pivot under pressure from chunky legislation, were huge themes at the 10th ICIS World Polyolefins conference.Fresh from the stage, ICIS experts dig into the biggest themes that cropped up for delegates including converters, brands and producers in Vienna.In this podcast, PE and PP senior editor Vicky Ellis is joined by fellow senior editor Ben Monroe-Lake, senior analysts Emiliano Basualto, Lorenzo Meazza and Egor Dementev, and polyolefins consultant John Richardson.

LONDON (ICIS)--In April, for European oxo-alcohols and derivatives markets the focus has remained on supply-side changes to drive market sentiment and prices. This is largely expected to continue for the remainder of the quarter.Across markets, underlying demand continues to struggle amid the muted downstream environment in a variety of end user segments. Anticipated supply improvements for the rest of the quarter remain closely monitoredGlycol ethers report editor Cameron Birch speaks to oxo-alcohols Editor Nicole Simpson, acrylate esters Editor Mat Jolin-Beech and butyl acetate Editor Marion Boakye about the current conditions in these markets and expectations for the near future.

Recent cracker closure announcements in Europe and Japan may be the first of many as the industry grapples with chronic overcapacity driven by China and the Middle East. -          Three cracker closure announcements in Europe, Japan since late March-          1.4 million tonnes of ethylene capacity affected, but up to 20 million may be needed-          Europe, Japan, South Korea suffer from higher costs -          Negative chemicals demand growth possible in China-          China still dominates global chemical markets-          Opportunity to pivot sites to low carbon, local markets

The urea market is expected to remain subdued as Chinese exports resume over the next few months and given Iranian producers eagerness to move product before any fresh sanctions are imposed. China exports to resume but challenges remainIran offers over 200,000 tonnes for MayIndia’s return unlikely before June In this podcast, ICIS senior editors Sylvia Traganida and Deepika Thapliyal discuss the globally supply and demand situation for urea and ammonia, and the future developments for both products.

SINGAPORE (ICIS) – Persistent production constraints have driven Asia’s spot prices for butadiene (BD) to near two-year-high levels, but how the rally may go from here may hinge on downstream demand conditions.   Prolonged under-utilisation of regional crackers dented regional BD output Exports from China helped to plug some of these supply gaps Mixed views about downstream demand outlook In this podcast, ICIS editors Ai Teng Lim and Aviva Zhang discuss how regional supply and demand balance has evolved across different Asian outlets and how this may pan out from here for the near future.

The arbitrage between Europe and northeast Asia opened up in Q1 as OQ Chemicals declared force majeure on oxo-alcohols at its German site, tightening the European market.However, as underlying European demand remains sluggish and economic malaise continues, import opportunities for Asian sellers may be short lived.Europe markets editor, Nicole Simpson, and Asia markets editor, Julia Tan, discuss the outlook for supply, demand and trade flows in the coming quarter.

SINGAPORE (ICIS)--In this podcast, ICIS Analyst Sijia Li and ICIS Senior Industry Analyst Joanne Wang talk about highlights in in polyolefin market to provide background for you to visit Chinaplas.

SINGAPORE (ICIS) – Buying in Asia and the Middle East polyethylene terephthalate (PET) markets remained relatively need-based, with factors like geopolitical tensions and uncertainties in freight rates clouding sentiment. ·         Mixed sentiment in Asian markets, PET tracks upstream closely·         Uncertainty around freight rates leads to need-based buying·         Inventories with Mideast buyers high, however some replenishment expected post-Eid breakIn this chemical podcast, ICIS editors Damini Dabholkar and Zachary Tia discuss recent market conditions with an outlook ahead in Asia and the Mideast. ICIS will be at the Chinaplas conference in Shanghai from 23-26 April. Please feel free to get in touch with our team there.

Europe is finalizing the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, with far-reaching implications for both virgin and recycled polymer producers. -          Most significant EU packaging legislation in decades-          Includes binding targets for recycling and recyclability-          PPWR will have huge impact on virgin and recycled packaging sectors-          Working groups need to be set up across recycling value chains

SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia recycled polymers markets were sluggish for the most part in 2023. In early 2024 too, challenges that dim the short-term outlook persist.Some legislations surrounding recycling were also put in place in the region over the last few years, but the obstacles that limit the growth of this sector still remain.In this chemical podcast, ICIS senior editor Arianne Perez and analysts Joshua Tan and Chua Xin Nee share their insights on the topic.

SINGAPORE (ICIS)— China recently recorded an average propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit run rate of 47.6% on 3 April, down from 58.7% from a week before, marking the biggest week-on-week decrease ever and hitting the lowest point on record, according to ICIS data.   However, the average operating rate of PDH units in China is expected to pick up from late April as restarts are expected amid expectations of wider propylene-propane price spreads in Q2 and Q3. In this podcast, ICIS Analyst Wang Yan shares insights on the challenges faced by PDH operators.

Governments around the world are accelerating moves to impose anti-dumping duties as China ramps up exports of excess chemicals capacities. -          New wave of chemicals anti-dumping investigations against China-          Led by EU, US, India, Brazil, South Korea-          China exporting more excess chemicals and other industrial products-          China imports an added burden for struggling chemical companies in Europe -          More trade barriers could drive deglobalization of chemical markets-          China, Japan and India rely heavily on exports to fuel their economies

April is opening differently to March for Europe’s virgin polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) markets, and has been slow to start after the Easter break.Ahead of the ICIS 10th anniversary World Polyolefins Conference in Vienna this week, ICIS editors look at the early supply/demand signs for April, and what are the obvious changes from March.This podcast features Matt Tudball, senior editor for Europe R-PET & R-LDPE, and Vicky Ellis, senior editor manager for Europe virgin PE & PP.

The chemical ISO tank container market may benefit from the shift to regional supply chains as well as growth in low carbon supply chains.-          ISO tank containers may benefit from growth in low carbon supply chains-          Shift from global to more regional supply chains may benefit ISO tanks-          ISO tank containers fit into 20 and 40-foot shipping containers -          Fill gap between chemical parcel tankers and steel drums-          Global fleet of 850,000 ISO tanks in 2023, 5.8% larger than 2022-          Fast-growing sector with compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2% over 10 years-          Used for smaller volume, more specialised products

Analyst Joshua Dill, Senior Analyst Andrea Bassetti, and Senior Market Editor Emily Friedman reflect on their experiences and key takeaways from the 2024 Plastics Recycling Conference in Grapevine, Texas. They dive into various topics regarding notable trends, legislation, chemical recycling, and more.

SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia's ethylene (C2) market will see northeast Asia supply in Q2  remain ample on the back of relatively high run rates at northeast Asian crackers. Similarly, propane dehydrogenation (PDH) units in the region are also expected to sustain current run rates for Q2.In this podcast, ICIS market editors Josh Quah  and Julia Tan discuss Asia's olefins flows, with a forward view on the Q2 market.NE Asia C2 supply ample, SE Asia C2 supply tightNE Asia and SE Asia C3 supply ampleDeep-sea movements as arbitrage windows open

SINGAPORE (ICIS) – China’s continuing real-estate sector woes ensured healthy exports, especially to the major market of India. Supply continued to be ample in the region, while market participants digested news of impending implementation of BIS regulations and the initiation of the ADD investigation.Influx of exports from China continues amid sluggish domestic consumptionIndia’s DGTR releases notification on ADD investigationSentiment to be swayed by elections, monsoon, potential BIS regulationsIn this chemical podcast, ICIS editors Damini Dabholkar and Jonathan Chou discuss recent market conditions with an outlook ahead in Asia.

SINGAPORE (ICIS) -- The importance of regulations cannot be overlooked as countries work towards their sustainability targets. However, the regulatory landscape in Asia Pacific is fragmented, resulting in a complex web of intricacies.As a result, countries may have similar policies, but implemented at different levels of maturity. For example, Southeast Asian countries tend have detailed roadmaps but lack specificity while countries in Northeast Asia tend to have matured policies that covers a wide range of applications and encourage multi-stakeholder engagement.In this podcast, ICIS Analysts Chua Xin Nee and Joshua Tan explore Asia Pacific’s regulatory landscape.

GRAPEVINE (ICIS)-- The Plastics Recycling Conference is underway in Grapevine, Texas, and Senior Market Editor Emily Friedman and Senior Analyst Andrea Bassetti break down the key topics among discussions and presentations at the show:US R-PET market experiencing a divergence from historic trend, as well as stark regional differencesChemical recycling capacities still set to grow through 2028Recycling markets facing virgin, import price pressure and sluggish demand in 1H2024To learn more, ICIS recycled plastics experts Emily Friedman and Andrea Bassetti will be giving a presentation "Insights from the Analysts" on Wednesday, 27 March at 10:00AM CST. The Plastics Recycling Conference (PRC) takes place on 25-27 March in Grapevine, Texas. Please reach out on LinkedIn to connect with us at the show!

LONDON (ICIS)--With the already challenging supply chains taking a further hit with the force majeure declared by OQ on oxo-alcohols, there is growing tightness across the oxo-alcohol and derivatives markets.Oxo-alcohols editor Nicole Simpson joins acrylate esters editor Mathew Jolin-Beech, butyl acetate (butac) editor Marion Boakye and glycol ethers editor Cameron Birch for the March 2024 edition of the oxo-alcohols and derivatives podcast and to assess just how tight and challenging the picture really is.