AFPM ’19: Westlake’s Chao brothers urge action on climate, plastics waste on receiving Petchem Heritage Award

SAN ANTONIO (ICIS)–The petrochemical industry has to be more proactive in addressing the challenges of plastics waste and global warming, the CEO at US’ producer Westlake Chemical said on Monday.

“We are all in this together,” said Albert Chao after he and his brother James had accepted the Petrochemical Heritage Award 2019.

The Award winner is chosen by the Science History Institute and the Founders Club of the AFPM International Petrochemical Conference (IPC).

The winners received the Award at the opening session of the 44th IPC in San Antonio.

Albert and James Chao received the Award in recognition of their roles in founding and guiding Westlake Chemical into the successful company it is today and “for their dedication to the petrochemical community,” the Award sponsors said.

The two brothers founded Houston-based Westlake Chemical Corporation with their father TT Chao in the mid-1980s.

They also founded Titan Chemical of Malaysia and Suzhou Huasu Plastics Company in China.

TT Chao received the Petrochemical Heritage Award in 2005.

Albert Chao said that Westlake Chemical is a family-oriented company that places its employees and their safety first, alongside a focus on creating shareholder value.

James Chao said the company’s success was attributable to three factors: the work of its dedicated executive board members, the teachings of TT Chao, and being able to “stand on his shoulders” to take advantage of resources in the US that can be likened to “manna from heaven”.

Albert Chao said that between 2014 and 2017, Westlake Chemical had achieved a reduction on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of approximately 30% and had cut sulphur emissions from its plants to almost zero.

The producer is involved with the Materials Recovery for the Future (MRFF) pilot demonstration project that the US’ chemicals trade group the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) members have established with recyclers.

It works on sustainability issues with the Vinyl Institute and has joined the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) with the aim to advance solutions to eliminate plastic waste in the global environment.

Hosted by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), the IPC takes place on 24-26 March in San Antonio, Texas.

Pictured: The Chao brothers receive the Petrochemical Heritage Award in San Antonio, Texas
Source: Nigel Davis/ICIS