• Opinion

  Evolving opportunities and challenges in the PET industry

  • 02 2月 2017

  The recent PET 2020 conference in Brussels brought the industry together to reflect on how Europe's PET recycling model has become a benchmark in the wider market.

• Opinion

  Has Covid-19 left the apparel industry hanging by a thread?

  • 01 7月 2020

  Fibres markets have been hit hard by coronavirus, and the apparel sector – where 55% of total fibre volume was consumed in 2019 – is where the value chain has been most exposed.

• Opinion

  What’s behind the BP and INEOS petrochemical deal?

  • 06 7月 2020

  While most oil majors and NOCs are focusing on strengthening their petrochemical integration, BP is divesting petrochemical assets to INEOS in a US$5 billion deal.

• Opinion

  Can PTA producers survive plummeting polyester demand?

  • 28 7月 2020

  The PTA market was already grappling with global overcapacity when the pandemic piled on the pressure.

• Opinion

  Are current legal frameworks too restrictive for CCUS projects?

  • 08 4月 2025

  Are outdated regulations holding back CCUS? Hear top legal and economic experts break down the barriers to scaling carbon capture in the US.

• Opinion

  Bonus episode from COP29: Getting real about methane emissions

  • 10 12月 2024

  More than 100 countries have pledged to cut methane emissions, with not much to show for it so far. What is being done to change that?

• Opinion

  Full steam ahead: the changing outlook for global marine fuels to 2050

  • 20 8月 2024

  Global maritime trade set to grow by more than 40% by mid-century.

• Opinion

  The roadmap to recycling polyolefins

  • 13 8月 2024

  The future of polyolefin recycling hinges on innovations in waste management systems and a new kind of value chain.

• Opinion

  Can private value chains boost polyolefin recycling?

  • 02 8月 2024

  Major players are best placed to form partnerships across industries and bridge the yawning supply gap.

• Opinion

  2022 – cheerful or fearful?

  • 16 12月 2021

  After another rollercoaster year that trampled on predictions, the annual APAC Energy Buzz ‘cheerful or fearful’ outlook is back.

• Opinion

  Horizons podcast: Plastic surgery

  • 14 12月 2021

  Dr. Liz Dennett joins Dr Lars Borger and Guy Bailey to explore biodegradability, new materials and how could we create a sustainable plastic value chain.

• Opinion

  Propylene: picking the winners and losers

  • 11 8月 2022

  Tracking asset economic performance through the propylene downcycle.

• Opinion

  Overcapacity puts pressure on polypropylene markets

  • 11 8月 2022

  How can the industry prepare for the cycle, and which polypropylene producers are best placed to withstand the market’s peaks and troughs?

• Opinion

  Can chemical recycling close the plastic loop?

  • 14 6月 2022

  Only certain types of plastic can be handled by existing mechanical processes. Could emerging technology such as feedstock recycling, chemical depolymerisation and solvent purification offer a solution?

• Opinion

  The polyester chain in 2022 and beyond

  • 03 2月 2022

  Key themes to watch for the polyester chain, from growing overcapacity to prices, margins and supply chain woes – and the quest for greater sustainability.

• Opinion

  From high energy costs to the materials transition: five themes shaping the future of petrochemicals

  • 02 11月 2022

  A recap of the hottest topics of discussion at EPCA 2022

• Opinion

  Can legislation unlock a circular plastics economy?

  • 12 10月 2022

  Clear and robust legislation is vital if the fragmented plastics economy is to find a sustainable pathway – the UN treaty on plastic pollution will play a central role.

• Opinion

  How will a global slowdown impact chemicals markets?

  • 26 9月 2022

  A strong correlation between GDP and plastics demand growth means that macroeconomic conditions have a significant impact on the chemicals industry.

• Opinion

  China’s solar growth sends module prices plummeting

  • 05 4月 2024

  Excess capacity has sent solar panel prices tumbling. In the early 2010s, the stretch goal was to get the cost down to 50c a watt. Now they are selling in China for just 11c. That is great for solar deployment, but less good for manufacturers.

• Opinion

  Ethylene: global carbon contributor

  • 09 4月 2024

  The ethylene industry is tackling emissions through a raft of new carbon-cutting measures. These bring promise, but also considerable challenges, as some regions face the fall-out of their carbon pricing policies

• Opinion

  Horizons Live: Waste to wealth

  • 31 7月 2024

  The circular economy is a critical strategy for delivering a lower-emission, more sustainable economy. This month's Horizons Live examines how different industries can work towards unlocking circular value chains and initiate change.

• Opinion

  How do integrated companies position themselves in the changing downstream landscape?

  • 05 6月 2024

  We benchmark 17 integrated IOCs and NOCs in our coverage using our proprietary downstream analysis in our Corporate Strategy and Analytics Service.

• Opinion

  Which global steam crackers are at most risk of closure?

  • 16 5月 2024

  With ethylene producers facing multiple headwinds, we benchmark facilities to see which plants are under threat

• Opinion

  How will the EU plastics levy change the flexible packaging market?

  • 08 2月 2021

  The EU is getting tougher on non-recycled plastic packaging waste. Will the new plastics levy lead to more sustainable solutions? And could the flexible packaging sector lose its relative cost advantage?

• Opinion

  Tracking the source of the single-use plastics crisis

  • 03 8月 2021

  Wood Mackenzie recently contributed to a landmark study by the Minderoo Foundation, The Plastic Waste Makers Index: Revealing the source of the single-use plastics crisis. By following the materials and the money involved, we wanted to track the production of the polymers destined for single-use plastics, assess how much ends up as waste and explore the future of the industry.

• Opinion

  COP26: Can petrochemicals square the circle?

  • 29 9月 2021

  Polymer value chains currently account for 4% of energy related GHG emissions, and this figure is set to rise to 10% by 2050 as plastic demand rises to meet the needs of the rising global middle-class.

• Opinion

  8 things we learned at the Chemicals and Polymers Conference

  • 20 9月 2021

  The Chemicals and Polymers Conference discussed base chemical and polymer markets, emerging technologies, and discussions on the hot topics facing the industry.

• Opinion

  Can China’s CTO and MTO industries survive the threat of massive steam cracker investment?

  • 06 9月 2019

  In 2019, the total ethylene capacity from CTO/MTO units reached 5.21 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa), accounting for 21% of China’s total ethylene capacity. However, CTO and MTO development has slowed due to high methanol prices and environmental controls, as well as the threat from a new wave of steam cracker investment in China.

• Opinion

  Part 5: unlocking the value of refinery-petrochemicals integration

  • 22 11月 2023

  We are at an unprecedented point in time where the entire commodity petrochemicals industry is in a downturn. Where do we expect chemical margins to end up this year and what can producers do to tide through the downturn?

• Opinion

  Part 4: unlocking the value of refinery-petrochemicals integration

  • 15 11月 2023

  We are at an unprecedented point in time where the entire commodity petrochemicals industry is in a downturn. Where do we expect chemical margins to end up this year and what can producers do to tide through the downturn?