The Democrat Party sweep of the Georgia runoff senatorial elections this week means President-elect Joseph Biden will take office on 20 January with his party in control of both houses of Congress and thus an easier path to enacting the policies on which he campaigned. The blog previously outlined some possibilities for pandemic-recovery economic stimulus […]
Chemical Connections
Good recycling news plants seeds for further advances
This year continues to be a “slog,” a word when said aloud just reeks of 2020. I guess that would be onomatopoeia for those you who remember your high school literature lessons and/or author Edgar Allan Poe. Hence, it’s doubly joyful when some good news comes along such as Chevron Phillips Chemical’s (CPChem) announcement on […]
Could recycling bring naphtha back in style?
Last week, the blog took a look at how government policies could shape a market such as that for linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE). The scenarios analysed uncovered a major point: A major upsurge in demand above the 2.24m tonnes base case for 2025 jeopardises operations for disadvantaged LLDPE plants globally. However, the demand for […]
No time to waste in solving ocean plastic dilemma
It feels like we could all use some good news, so how about this: We already have the capabilities to reduce ocean plastic waste by about 80% by 2040. That jolt of positivity comes from Breaking the Plastic Wave, a newly issued report by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ and thought partners – the […]
Why the polypropylene industry must switch from volumes to value
By John Richardson EVERYONE knows about the oversupply in the polyethylene (PE) market as it has been discussed in more presentations and conferences than any of have had hot dinners. But less understood is the extent of oversupply in the global polypropylene (PP) business, which you can see from the above chart on the left. […]
Resilience of global polyethylene demand jeopardised by stimulus withdrawals
By John Richardson THE WORD on the street – what market participants have said about the polyethylene (PE) market – has portrayed a very consistent story since the pandemic began: Robust demand, despite what on paper is an enormous loss of incomes and wealth. One theory put forward to explain the resilience of demand is […]
Remote-working growth yields food for thought for supply chain
What opportunities and challenges does sustained growth in remote working present to FMCGs and retailers? With economies in the throes of various stages of reopening, debate has begun surrounding when businesses dominated by white-collar workers bring their employees back into an office setting. Even in states such as Texas where I am located, many companies […]
Consumers’ desire for sustainable packaging has not been shelved by pandemic
What does the current downturn in demand for recycled plastics mean for the packaging value chain? Coming into 2020, recycled polymers were the most sought-after dance partner at the ball, increasingly demanded for by a consumer class focused on undoing the environmental damage wrought by plastic waste. That pushed the plastics value chain from bottom […]
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