Being an “early adopter” is never easy because of cynicism and scepticism. But what choice do we polymer companies have? None, if they really want to protect their revenues.
By John Richardson
POLYMER companies will lose billions of euros …
Tag Archives | EU
Plastic Waste: The Billion Dollar Threat To The Global Polymers Business
By John Richardson
THE global scale of the plastics waste challenge is illustrated by the above chart from my blog post last October. Using our ICIS Supply & Demand Database, examining the production of of 11 major polymers, some 4bn …
How US Could Be Squeezed Out Of Europe’s Polyethylene Market
By John Richardson
EARLIER this year a commonly held view was that globalisation would slip into reverse gear with the very real prospect of a global trade war.
But this view didn’t take into account China’s One Belt, One Road …
Where Have All The Jobs Gone?
By John Richardson
POLITICIANS everywhere know that their chances of staying in office depend on how many jobs they can at the very least prevent from disappearing down the economic plughole.
Ideally, they also want to be able to lay …
Europe’s Dinosaur Destiny
By John Richardson
DINOSAURS became extinct, scientists think, because of an event beyond their control – either an asteroid colliding with the earth, volcanic activity, an ice age, disease or gradual climate change.
With all due respect to the former …
Germany’s Long-term Economic Challenges
Source of graph: Eurostat
By John Richardson
AS delegates gather for this year’s European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) meeting in Berlin, which takes place on 5-9 October, it might be tempting to believe that Europe has turned the corner.
Supporting …
Europe’s Economic “Recovery”
By John Richardson
EUROZONE GDP expanded 0.3% in the second quarter of this year and it will probably also have expanded in Q3. As a result, if you view the end of a recession as two consecutive quarters of …
China And The New IPCC Report
By John Richardson
THE blog isn’t a scientist and it has also often discussed the dangers of another consensus view: That the global economy will return to the Old Normal.
Nevertheless, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has now …
Listen To The Iconoclasts
By John Richardson
Does your company employ an independent economist who forms her or his own view of where China is heading, or does it instead just accept the conventional wisdom dished up by the big institutions, such as the …
Dalian Reflects China-EU Risks
By John Richardson
AT first glance it might seem strange that the Dalian Commodity Exchange’s linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) futures contract has fluctuated so dramatically on news emanating from the Eurozone.
The May 2012 contract – the one most actively traded …