Agenda

This section will cover oil production, refining, fuels production, gas processing and other sources of energy

This section will cover olefins and it’s link to various value chains, energy feedstocks and petrochemical integration.

This section will provide background on the concept of circular plastics and define what it means.

This section defines a polymer and reviews the main physical properties of a polymer.

This section discusses the three basic types of polyethylene including its physical properties, range of finished products, who produces it, global demand, process technologies, catalysts and comonomers.

This section discusses polypropylene including its physical properties, range of finished products, who produces it, global demand and process technologies.

This section discusses PET including its physical properties, range of finished products, who produces it, global demand and process technologies.

This section discusses PVC including its physical properties, range of finished products, who produces it, global demand and process technologies.

This section discusses PS & EPS including its physical properties, range of finished products, who produces it, global demand and process technologies.

This section discusses engineering thermoplastics including its physical properties, range of finished products, who produces it, global demand and process technologies.

This section discusses bio based and biodegradable plastics including physical properties, market penetration, market segments and bio-feedstocks.

A breakdown of the economic outlook as a foundation for projected plastic market dynamics and the current global issues impacting the market.

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Ethylene and propylene markets were already under pressure, with capacity growth set to outpace demand and compress margins. But a sudden disruption, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has dramatically reshaped the near-term outlook. The loss of Middle Eastern supply has temporarily rebalanced the market, shifting the conversation from oversupply to feedstock security. As conditions tighten, the industry faces a new wave of high-stakes questions. Will damaged assets be restored, or are outages here to stay? How will an emerging “risk premium” reshape project economics? And could this disruption fundamentally alter China’s expansion strategy?

As margins tighten and global competition intensifies, plastics producers are turning to mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships to gain scale and strengthen their market position. This presentation explores the forces driving consolidation across the plastics value chain, what it means for competition, investment, and innovation, and how a new generation of larger, more integrated players could reshape the future of the industry.

This presentation examines the evolving PVC landscapes in North and South America, distinguishing between transitory shifts and structural market changes. We analyze how these dynamics are fundamentally impacting pricing, producer profitability, and regional demand. Following a review of the pivotal market events of 2026, we provide a strategic outlook for 2027 market conditions to help stakeholders navigate the year ahead.

The Middle East crisis has sparked a historic reversal in the EMEA polyolefin market, with supply displacements creating a structural shortage across Europe. This shift has unexpectedly boosted prices and margins, prompting European producers to pivot from rationalization to a strategic revival. Meanwhile, a severe supply shock at the Middle East’s global export hub may take years to fully repair. This unprecedented disruption is forcing a total reassessment of regional geopolitical risk, fundamentally altering future investment and growth strategies for the global industry.

China’s polyolefins market is rebalancing amid slowing domestic demand and global supply disruptions following Middle East tensions. Lean inventories and cautious buying have constrained demand recovery, while reduced overseas supply has tightened global availability. This dynamic is reshaping trade flows, with China increasingly stepping into export markets. The presentation explores implications for market balance, pricing, operating rates, and China’s evolving role in global polyolefins trade.

In an era of supply chain disruption, tariffs, and geopolitical uncertainty, sourcing strategies are under renewed scrutiny. This presentation examines the strategic advantages of regional sourcing, including greater supply reliability, improved lead-time control, clearer cost transparency compared with imports, and reduced exposure to trade and logistics risks. As companies rethink procurement priorities, sourcing closer to end markets is emerging not just as a resilience strategy, but as a competitive advantage.

The global pipe market is evolving as producers and buyers balance performance, cost, and supply considerations across PVC, PE, and PP materials. This session explores market trends, material-specific risks, and strategic choices shaping production, pricing, and investment decisions in the piping sector.

With critical chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea facing unprecedented instability in 2026, the plastics industry is confronting a radical shift in logistics. This session analyzes the impact of extended transit times around the Cape of Good Hope, the resulting surge in freight costs, and the specific threat to resin supply chains.

In this presentation, we will discuss recent changes observed in the North American PVC market as well as the South American PVC market, identifying which changes are considered transitory and which are considered structural. Both of these changes have different impacts on market prices, producers’ profits, and, more importantly, on demand. We will review recent market events in 2026 and will present our outlook for 2027 market conditions.

This session will explore how the shift toward Design for Recycling (DfR) standards and mandatory recycled content minimums across regulatory jurisdictions is forcing a re-evaluation of packaging design, resin sourcing, and a re-evaluation of multi-material packages.

This session examines the critical partnership between the construction sector and the vinyls industry. We will explore how evolving building trends and infrastructure requirements are currently shaping vinyl demand and product specifications.

Kickstart your morning with a strategic look at the diverging paths of the styrenics and high-performance polymer markets. This briefing will provide a comprehensive overview of current market trends, supply-demand dynamics, and the key factors impacting these specific resin sectors.

The chemicals sector is on the precipice of increasing productivity gains as AI can both automate repeatable tasks and optimize high-stakes decision-making across the entire value chain. This session will share lessons on deploying AI as infrastructure rather than just a technical tool to ensure long-term resilience and growth impacting the value chain across multiple functions: commercial & strategy management, research & development, operations, and supply chain & procurement.

This session explores the circular economy’s current landscape, focusing on how mass balance policies shape can recyclate supply and how regulatory mandates are redefining market demand within the circular economy.

As global plastics circularity targets shift, the industry faces a disconnect between the need for scalable recycling infrastructure and associated capital investment versus the realities of the current economy and market environment. This session explores how different recycling technologies can contribute to bridging this gap and how the industry can de-risk the transition for both investors and brand owners.

The stability of the global PET market is now inextricably linked to geopolitical flashpoints, as conflicts in the Middle East disrupt critical supply chains for PX, PTA, and MEG. This session analyzes the value chain’s vulnerability to energy insecurity and logistical bottlenecks, providing an updated outlook on supply, demand, and price assumptions reshaped by surging freight rates. Beyond market fundamentals, we examine how shifting regional production economics and high volatility are redefining converter competitiveness and global trade parity in an increasingly uncertain landscape.

The global PVC industry is entering a prolonged period of suppressed margins and oversupply, with utilization rates expected to hit a floor through 2027. Recovery remains gradual as the market adapts to China’s shifting supply dynamics and India’s emergence as a major capacity hub. Despite European rationalization, a return to healthy operating rates is unlikely before 2030, forcing producers to navigate a “long bottom” cycle. Compounding these challenges, escalating geopolitical conflicts continue to threaten the market with volatile energy costs and disrupted trade flows.

The global polyethylene market has entered a period of unprecedented volatility, fueled by feedstock uncertainty, geopolitical risks, and shifting supply-demand balances. This presentation examines the drivers behind these fluctuations and assesses their impact on pricing, trade flows, and strategic positioning. By analyzing these critical pressures, we provide the insights necessary to navigate an increasingly unpredictable value chain.

The Middle East conflict has fundamentally reshaped the global polypropylene (PP) market, acting as a lifeline for some producers while accelerating asset shutdowns elsewhere due to critical feedstock shortages. This session provides an updated global supply-demand outlook in the wake of these shocks, featuring revised price assumptions and a new energy-driven trade forecast. We will also examine the ripple effects on converter competitiveness and evaluate PP’s economic standing against alternative materials in this high-stakes environment.