Chemical Week

Chris Jahn, CEO of the American Chemistry Council, outlines policy and trade priorities that shape industry competitiveness. Jim Fitterling, Chairman and CEO of Dow, covers supply shocks, Dow’s Alberta net‑zero cracker and strategic responses to market volatility. They discuss Middle East conflict impacts, scenario planning, decarbonization choices and trade and regulatory certainty.

In a special episode in advance of the 2026 World Petrochemical Conference (WPC), Chemical Week editor-in-chief Ian Young, senior editor Mark Thomas, and S&P Global Platts senior price reporter Daniela Morales join the show for a discussion of key themes and what to look out for at this year's WPC. The war in the Middle East, supply chain and tariff issues, the evolution of the industry in Asia Pacific, and the changing nature of energy transition take center stage as industry leaders prepare to gather in Houston. Hear more on key issues in the petrochemical sector at the World Petrochemical Conference (WPC 2026), taking place at Houston, TX, March 23–27, 2026. The event will bring together industry leaders and market experts to assess market shifts, margin pressures and strategic responses across global petrochemicals. For more information and to register, visit wpc.spglobal.com/en or contact wpc@spglobal.com.

Alasdair Carmichael and Lauren Laibach of the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) join S&P Global research head Olivier Maronneaud and podcast host Vincent Valk for a discussion of the outlook for recycled PET in 2026. Key topics include the findings of NAPCOR's latest report on the state of the PET recycling sector and global challenges related regulatory differences, trade tensions, and weak supply-demand dynamics. Hear more on key issues in the plastics recycling and polymer sectors at the World Petrochemical Conference (WPC 2026), taking place at Houston, TX, March 23–27, 2026. The event will bring together industry leaders and market experts to assess market shifts, margin pressures and strategic responses across global petrochemicals. For more information and to register, visit wpc.spglobal.com/en or contact wpc@spglobal.com. This episode was recorded before the current war in the Middle East broke out.

Dan Jeavons, president of Applied Computing and former Shell data science exec, builds foundation AI models for energy and petrochemical operations. He talks about tuning LLMs for industrial settings. He covers preventing hallucinations, combining physics and time-series data, top use cases like optimization and emissions, and the people and change-management challenges of adopting AI.

Daniel Krauss, director at S&P Global Ratings, joins the podcast for a discussion about the latest S&P Global Ratings chemicals report and the road ahead for the chemical industry. Topics include how the prolonged chemical downturn has affected credit ratings, the disparity in the outlook for commodity verses specialty chemicals , and what a recovery looks like when it arrives. Read the report here. 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 to the Chemical Week podcast on your favorite platform, or visit chemweek.com/podcast to view our episode archive.

Sid Kalpattu Shivakumar, director of global market insights and Nouryon, joins the podcast for a deep dive into supply chain resiliency. Key themes include the multidimentional nature of supply volatility, how companies can manage multiple suppliers, and the role of AI and data in driving decisions around supply chain.

Ian Young, Editor-in-chief at Chemical Week, analyzes geopolitics and petrochemical market dynamics. Vincent Valk, Senior editor, delves into market oversupply, AI opportunities, and Chinese industrial policies. Luke Warren, S&P Global price reporter, details supply-demand imbalances and trade flows, focusing on commodities like phenol and acetone. Key themes discussed include the impact of decelerating growth, European regulatory challenges, and the transformative potential of AI in the chemicals sector through demand for specialized materials.

Leticia Gonçalves, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF)'s president of health and biosciences, joins the podcast to discuss IFF's Designed Enzymatic Biomaterials (DEB) platform, its journey from concept to commercialization, and the expanding market opportunities for biomaterials in sectors like home care, water treatment, and packaging. 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 to the Chemical Week podcast on your favorite platform, or visit chemweek.com/podcast to view our episode archive.

Kamna Kapoor, senior price reporter at S&P Global Energy, and Andre Mikhail, price reporter at S&P Global Energy, join the podcast to discuss the latest in methanol market dynamics. Key topics include a supply glut in the US, ongoing contract negotiations, and the impact of trade barriers.

Nirav Shah, global director/growth fields at Evonik, joins the podcast to discuss the promise and challenges of using pyrolysis oil - derived from recycled plastic - as a chemical feedstock and fuel.