As the war in the Middle East pushed up energy costs in Europe, politicians in Brussels have sprung into action on moves to improve chemical industry competitiveness.

• Iran war pushed EU to accelerate moves on cutting energy costs
• Now up to member states to implement cost cutting measures
• Positive moves on Emissions Trading System (ETS)
• Fast-tracking for anti-dumping duties (ADDs) is welcome
• Brussels has finally moved from words to action
• Update to Reach regulation has been halted
• New ETS structure to be revealed on July 15. Force majeure option would be welcome
• War effect will last throughout 2026 and likely into 2027
• Companies in Europe are delaying maintenance as demand has risen
• Customers and producers are rethinking 100% globalised business models, seek to make supply chains more robust
• Northern China can access Russian crude, South more reliant on Middle East
• Expect slump in consumer spending, rising rates of savings in Europe, demand destruction later in the year
• Permanent plant closures, M&A is creating a strong European industry
• AEQUITA, Borouge International, Moeve-Galp merger will create Europe-based powerhouses

In this ICIS Think Tank podcast, Will Beacham interviews Cefic director general Marco Mensink and Paul Hodges, chairman of New Normal Consulting.

Join the ICIS European Recycling Team as they discuss the key topics and takeaways they hope to get from this year's Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) taking place in Amsterdam on 5-6 May.

You can meet the Europe Recycling Team at the ICIS Booth in Hall 5, Stand F110, where you can scan a QR code to get access to the latest ICIS data on the recycling markets and learn more about ICIS' sustainability offerings.

SINGAPORE (ICIS)-- China’s polyethylene (PE) producers are increasingly exploring Southeast Asia (SEA) as an export destination as domestic market fundamentals shift and pressure builds at home.

China has traditionally not been a net exporter of PE, but weakening domestic demand and limited ability to clear material domestically are prompting producers to look overseas, with SEA increasingly viewed as a potential growth market.

Polypropylene (PP) producers in China and SEA are facing similar challenges, struggling to pass on higher costs as end users have so far resisted price increases in April. While some market participants expect greater acceptance of higher prices from June onwards, converters are considering run rate reductions if margin pressure persists.

In this podcast, Senior Editors Izham Ahmad and Jackie Wong discuss evolving supply‑side strategies, demand conditions following an earlier wave of panic buying, and expectations for potential demand easing in the near term.

• Depleting inventories by end‑May may mark a turning point for demand recovery
• Shipping constraints and geopolitical risks sharpen focus on shorter‑haul, lower‑risk cargoes
• Downstream uptake slows after panic buying, market players flag potential demand easing

SHANGHAI (ICIS)--Since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict in late February, attention has increasingly focused on its impact on energy and petrochemical markets. A steep rise in crude oil and naphtha prices has driven a rapid increase in prices across aromatics and their derivatives. According to ICIS data, as of 22 April, prices of downstream polymer products derived from aromatics in China, including polyester fibre, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polystyrene (PS) and expandable polystyrene (EPS) have risen by 25–40% compared with pre‑conflict levels.

This inevitably raises questions about whether end-industry companies can withstand such immense price pressure, what their current countermeasures are, and how these dynamics may feed back into upstream markets.

In this podcast, Asian Senior Aromatics Analysts Jenny Yi, Jimmy Zhang, and Yoland Chen discuss how the Middle East conflict is affecting demand across China's aromatics end-use industries and share their views on near- and medium-term implications.

The 38th China International Plastics & Rubber Industry Exhibition (Chinaplas) - the world's leading trade fair for the sector - is taking place from April 21 to 24 April in Shanghai, China. ICIS held extensive discussions with market participants attending the event, with key insights shared in today's podcast.

• End-use industry performance is mixed: nylon, PET resin demand grows, home appliance demand slows, textile and clothing demand may decline
• ABS demand growth in China is expected to be lower this year than in 2025, while EPS and PS demand is forecast to slow in 2026 before rebounding in 2027
• China's polyester fiber consumption and production are set to decline this year, while PET resin demand remains strong, prompting integrated producers to prioritize PET resin output

With the Iran war now in its eighth week, we can expect more serious consequences for chemicals from rising inflation, demand destruction and a prolonged post-war recovery period.

- 43 force majeures in Middle East and Asia, Europe prices hitting record highs

- Sanctioned Russian and Iranian crude oil stored on ships is nearly depleted, exposing markets to greater shortages

- 5-10% of global oil and gas supply is unavailable

- Prepare for demand destruction as global economy adapts to shortages

- Food price inflation likely to hurt poorer nations most, but all economies will suffer

- Inflation may spike to 5-10% as supply shortages impact downstream consumer markets

In this Think Tank podcast, Will Beacham interviews ICIS Insight Editor Tom Brown and Paul Hodges, chairman of New Normal Consulting.

LONDON (ICIS)--Europe oxo-alcohols and derivatives markets have seen prices spike in the wake of the US-Iran war, although they have started to stablize through the month of April.

With a challenging two months since the start of the US-Iran war pushing prices up dramatically and tightening the global supply chain, the European markets have been hit hard. However, there are some signs that prices are starting to stabilize, even if supply remains tight and prices high.

Acrylate esters editor Mathew Jolin-Beech speaks to oxo-alcohols and butyl acetate editor Marion Boakye and glycol ethers editor Cameron Birch about how each sector has been hit and impacted by the war.

In the latest episode of the ICIS Sustainably Speaking podcast, PETCORE Europe’s Jose‑Antonio Alarcón talks to Matt Tudball, ICIS Senior Editor, Recycling, why PET thermoform recycling remains significantly behind bottle recycling and what must change as the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) approaches.

He outlines efforts to move from theory to real‑world compliance, including tray‑to‑tray recycling demonstrators and the development of functional barrier technologies under Regulation (EU) 2022/1616. Alarcón also warns that progress will depend heavily on earlier investment and stronger engagement from packers and retailers, despite growing technological readiness across the recycling value chain.

The PETCORE Europe Thermoforms Conference on 18-19 June 2026 in Valencia, Spain.

Key topics discussed:

• PET thermoform recycling lags far behind bottles
• PPWR demands proven, scalable recycling solutions
• Tray‑to‑tray recycling is achievable, not theoretical
• Functional barriers critical for food‑contact approval
• Packers and retailers remain key bottleneck
• Early action and enforcement needed to meet targets

The Middle East conflict has affected fertilizer markets pushing prices up due to tight availability and leading to demand destruction in some regions.

In this podcast, urea editor Deepika Thapliyal, sulphur editor Manuja Pandey, phosphates editor Chris Vlachopoulos, sulphuric acid editor Andy Hemphill and ammonia editor Sylvia Traganida discuss the latest market developments.

· Urea prices jump on tight availability, drop in demand on low affordability

· Sulphur supply tightness leads to two-tier market for industrial users and fertilizer producers

· China export ban of sulphuric acid pushes prices to record highs

· Concerns arise in Europe on farmer affordability leading to phosphates demand destruction

· Lack of ammonia availability from the Middle East pushes Asian prices up and makes buyers look eastward for product