Tecnon OrbiChem

Tecnon OrbiChem's founder and senior advisor Charles Fryer first attended the European Petrochemical Association's (EPCA) Annual Meeting in 1978 and almost all since. Attending this year will be Tecnon OrbiChem’s experts who cover a range of chemical family groups and products key to industries including plastics, polyesters, personal care, engineering materials and textiles.

As if chemical supply chains were not stressed enough already, July sees the realisation of US President Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This contains a measure that reintroduces the Superfund Tax on chemicals, a levy that was introduced in the early 1980s but had been allowed to lapse in the 1990s. The levy is designed to elicit funds for reinstating environments that have been damaged by previous chemical industry practices.

Companies with the highest environmental, social and governance scores have seen above-average growth over the past five years. Tecnon OrbiChem's online business intelligence platform, OrbiChem360, can help senior management level personnel, including procurement managers and business segment managers make timely, well-informed decisions based on reliable and accurate data and analysis of key factors shaping the bio-materials markets.

Agenda (starts 10am UTC+1 London time Wednesday 22 June) – Jonathan Chou, markets editor, ICIS A review of the China Chlor-alkali market and key factors driving its future direction – Carol Li, senior consultant, Tecnon OrbiChem The US & European caustic soda market: Analysing trends and what lies ahead – Hira Saeed, consultant, Tecnon OrbiChem Q&A Panel Charles Fryer, founder & senior advisor, Tecnon OrbiChem Carol Li, senior consultant, Tecnon OrbiChem Hira Saeed, consultant, Tecnon...

Strategies key to the circular economy include circular supply chains, eco-design, reuse, recovery and recycling of resources. In Europe, the bioeconomy and circular economy are being combined to address the issues of climate change and resource consumption. Within the chemical supply chain, the concept of a circular economy is growing in significance.

The largest PET producers reported extraordinary results in 2021 and Q1 2022. Along with improved profitability, all the companies provide extended description, achievements and goals in terms of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) standards. In the short term, profitability for products in the chain – with the exception of monoethylene glycol (MEG) – is expected to continue.

When the world’s most successful company proclaims the removal of a contentious chemical from its portfolio, it’s wise to wonder if the world will soon follow suit. Apple’s claim that its iPhone product range is PVC and phthalates-free – excluding AC power cords in South Korea and (two-pronged AC cords) in India and Thailand – demonstrates the availability and widespread acceptance of phthalates alternatives.

Most of international trade in sunflower oil originates from Ukraine and Russia. Exports from Ukraine have practically dried up, due to the Russian invasion, while exports from Russia are now under a quota system. The immediate effect was a rise of prices of sunflower oil in the shops in Europe, to the point that some restaurants stopped using it - followed by limits on purchases in some UK shops.

It’s no secret that plant-based polycarbonate (PC) can be problematic. Not only does the plastic demonstrate complex technical properties, developing alternative chemical intermediates with the performance potential of petrochemical-based PCs can be a time-consuming process. The wider polymer industry is already beginning to shift towards renewable carbon feedstocks such as biomass and CO2 to reduce GHG emissions - driven by incentives and legislative penalties.

Decarbonising the chemical industry ClimateWatch data indicates that 3.9% of the world’s entire carbon emissions come from the oil and natural gas industry, shown in this World Resources Institute visual dataset. And direct CO2 emissions from primary chemical production were 920 million metric tons during 2020, according to the International Energy Agency.