Thought Leadership

Fertiglobe: A Producer of Essential Nitrogen Fertilizer and Early Mover in Clean Ammonia Ahmed El-Hoshy, CEO, Fertiglobe, speaks to GPCA…

Sustainability in the GCC agri-nutrient sector GPCA analysis With the rising world population, expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, and…

Food security and climate change: A balancing act By Jack Walters, Consultant, NexantECA, Energy & Chemicals Advisory The development of…

Global food security challenges amid war and climate change By Daniel Aminetzah, Artem Baroyan, Nicolas Denis, Sarah Dewilde, Nelson Ferreira,…

Reskilling for the future: why and how By Sara Soleja, Capability Building Sub-Council, GPCA Youth Council The world is seeing…

GCC-UK FTA: A new era in GCC-UK trade relations? GPCA analysis “We are looking to do a really comprehensive, ambitious…

Road to decarbonization: unlocking the role of bionaphtha By Giulia Squadrin, Biofuels Associate Editor, and Amandeep Parmar, Net Zero Editor,…

Impact of high oil prices on the petrochemical and chemical sector By Diya Menon, Consulting Manager, Chemicals & Materials, Frost…

A look at the Chinese market and implications for the GCC chemical industry By John Richardson, Senior Consultant Asia, ICIS…

Towards a strategic partnership – strengthening trade relations between the GCC and EU By Arnoud Willems and Maryanne Kamau of…

Shaping the GCC plastic conversion industry’s landscape GPCA analysis Over the last few decades, the polymer industry in the GCC…

Container shipping: the challenges and the solutions In a special interview with GPCA Insight Express, Christopher Cook, Managing Director –…

Sustaining growth GPCA Insight Express speaks exclusively with Abdullah Al-Saadoon, CEO, SIPCHEM, about the company’s plans for expansion into new…

Putting the “Transition” back into the Energy Transition By David Hanna, Argus VP of Business Development for North Asia The…

Where did all the containers disappear, and are they coming back? By Stuti Chawla, Kristen Hays, Heng Hui and David…

Polymer waste management global and regional trends By Anwesha Banerjee, Senior Consultant, and Aparajith Balan, Global Practice Leader, Chemicals and…

Smart supply chains By Noora Mukhtar, Research Analyst, GPCA The GCC chemical industry, like its global counterparts, is rapidly advancing…

Solving the ESG puzzle By: Noora Mukhtar, Senior Researcher, GPCA Why ESG is becoming a hot topic? ESG is continuously…

A sustainable plastic economy is circular By Justin Wood, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Alliance to End Plastic Waste COVID-19…

State of the GCC chemical industry in 2021 GPCA Analysis The GCC chemical industry appears to be on the recovery…

Intellectual Property (IP) and sustainability in the chemical industry: best practices for maximizing value and reducing risk By:  Zayd Alathari…

Digitalization in the Chemical Industry: What Next? By: Christeena Thomas, Program Manager, Chemicals & Materials Practice, Frost & Sullivan Across…

Unlocking opportunities in challenging times: Saudi Arabia’s chemical producers welcome 2022 with optimism By Matthew Rajendra, Middle East Polymer Reporter…

OQ’s hydrogen ambition Dr. Salim Al Huthaili, Chief Executive Officer, Alternative Energy – OQ, speaks to Insight Express about the…

Industry must focus on digitalization, ESG and supply chain diversification GPIC discusses the trends that will reshape the regional chemical…

From recovery to growth Yousef Al Benyan, CEO and Vice Chairman, SABIC and Chairman, GPCA, discusses the challenges facing the…

Emerging stronger “To ensure organizations remain resilient and flexible, we must work together as an industry, embrace innovation to continue…

Driving change Thomas Gangl, CEO, Borealis, and speaker at this year’s Annual GPCA Forum, discusses the latest developments in sustainability…

The rise of ESG Dr. Ahmed Ali Attiga, CEO, APICORP, speaks to GPCA Insight about the growing interest in sustainable…

The GCC has a part to play in the transition to a more sustainable world By Robert Spruijt, Head Sustainable…

Driving sustainability in the agri-nutrients industry Patrick Heffer, Deputy Director General, International Fertilizer Association, and speaker at the 11th GPCA…

GPCA Insight speaks to Abdulrahman Al-Suwaidi, CEO, QAFCO, and Chairman of the GPCA Agri-nutrients Committee, about the role of the…

Responsible Care®: An enabler for success Abdel Hadi AlSuhaimi, Executive President, S-Chem, and Chairman, GPCA Responsible Care Committee, provides a…

Indian authorities should urgently terminate MEG investigation By Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA India is one of the key…

Recycled plastics: Creating value from waste The chemical sector is the largest industrial consumer of both oil and gas, currently…

UAE Country Focus: Ruwais expansion starts taking shape By Adal Mirza, Senior Editor, Argus Media Abu Dhabi’s ambitions to capture…

The role of the Arabian Gulf in maintaining food security With a rapidly growing global population, rising food prices and…

By Andrea Valentini, Principal Consultant, Argus The excitement about blue and green ammonia that started in 2019-20 shows no sign…

Trade facilitation to overcome GCC border delays Since Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) countries are primarily oil and gas-based economies, they…

Reducing Environmental Footprint through Responsible Care® The region’s commitment to sustainability remains high on government and industry agendas. The chemical…

Plastics in US autos surge By Joseph Chang, Global Editor, ICIS Chemical Business A small percentage increase in the overall…

Reinventing plastic for a Circular Economy Plastic recycling represents a complex challenge across the entire plastic value chain. Stakeholders from …

Taking action on plastic waste Jacob Duer, President and CEO, Alliance to End Plastic Waste, explains how the pandemic drove…

On a path to recovery Shifting sands in the trade landscape, a cautious economic outlook and the future of work…

COVID-19: A stress test for chemical supply chains Mutlaq H. Al-Morished, CEO, Tasnee, on the vulnerabilities that the coronavirus pandemic…

Weathering the storm Hamad Alterkait, Chairman, PIC, discusses the company’s M&A ambitions, future project plans, and the COVID-19 implications on…

In the eye of the storm How the chemical industry value chain came together to address the challenges arising from…

GPCA analysis GCC countries and India have long-standing trade ties dating back hundreds of years. In recent years, the regional…

Evolution of mobility and its influence on a new generation of automotive plastics By Diya Menon, Senior Consultant – Chemicals;…

Smooth sailing: How Maersk overcame the COVID-19 logistics challenges with agility and good planning Christopher Cook, Managing Director, Maersk UAE,…

Supply-chain inflation: here to stay? By David Fyfe, Chief Economist, Argus Media Petrochemical prices, like most commodities, have strengthened since…

Developing a fresh perspective on the future of the chemical industry By Bernd Elser, Accenture; Tobias Radel, Accenture; and Fernando…

Seizing the green hydrogen opportunity in the Arabian Gulf Thanks to rapidly declining renewable energy costs and technological advances, hydrogen…

By Paresh Avinash Kulkarni, Senior Consultant, Chemicals Practice, Frost & Sullivan Crude oil has conventionally been used to produce transportation…

Qatar upstream expansions underline Gulf petrochemical opportunities By Adal Mirza, Middle East Senior Correspondent, Argus, and Muhamad Fadhil, Vice-President, Petrochemicals,…

Wading through the plastic waste challenge Surendra Patawari, Founder and Chairman of Gemini Corporation, a GPCA member company, discusses the…

COVID and sustainability: Emerging stronger Dr. Faisal Al-Faqeer, CEO, Sadara, speaks to GPCA Insight about the chemical industry’s contribution to…

Redefining the world of chemistry Dr. Ilham Kadri, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Solvay, talks to GPCA Insight…

The capital projects conundrum Richard Verity, Partner and Steffen Fuchs, Senior Partner – McKinsey & Company   CapEx matters. In…

Embracing the “New normal” Yousef Al-Benyan, Vice Chairman and CEO, SABIC, and Chairman, GPCA, discusses the company’s strategy for growth…

The downstream starts on path to net zero By Kurt Barrow, VP of Oil Markets, Midstream, and Downstream at IHS…

A marathon at sprint speed: CO2-neutral chemical industry by 2050 – The challenge of an industry transformation, but a challenge…

A new oil paradigm and the rise of China By Elan Habib, Director of Market Development, ICIS   Nearly a…

GCC chemical industry will feel impact from switch to regional supply chains By Will Beacham, Deputy Editor, ICIS Chemical Business…

By Diya Menon, Senior Consultant-Chemicals, Frost & Sullivan and Aparajith Balan, Practice Leader-Chemicals, Frost & Sullivan The chemical industry was…

GPCA analysis The share of women in the total workforce at GPCA member companies has doubled over the last 10…

Implications of EU-UK trade agreement on the chemical industry and benefits of a potential UK-GCC FTA By Arnoud Willems and…

CO2 neutrality: Proactively shaping the transformation path The goal of a CO2 neutral chemical industry in 2050 is comparable with…

The future of petrochemicals: a tale of two transitions By Alan Gelder, Vice President Refining, Chemicals and Oil Markets, and…

By Chuck Venezia, SVP Petrochemicals, Argus The past year has required all of us in the petrochemical industry to adapt…

GPCA analysis The Covid-19 pandemic dealt an unprecedented blow to the GCC economy, causing it to contract by 6% in…

What shape will recovery take for GCC chemical markets? By Pushan Pal, Program Manager, Frost & Sullivan and Diya Menon,…

The GCC’s chemical industry in 2020: The highs and lows By Nuriya Ismagilova, Research and Studies Specialist, GPCA The impact…

What are the technologies accelerating low-carbon transition? By Shrinivas Tukedo, Research Manager and Aarthi Janakiraman, Research Manager, TechVision, Frost &…

Plastics recycling and other solutions for a circular economy By Steve Deutsch, PhD, Sales and Project Manager, and Valerie Stephens,…

How a Circular Economy for plastics can help the GCC realize its sustainability potential Enhancing the sustainability of plastic products…

The untapped potential of the Sino-Saudi cooperation in the petrochemical industry The petrochemical industry is one of the most robust…

Top 10 digital innovations to disrupt the chemical industry By Aditya Krishnan, Research Analyst, Frost & Sullivan The Digitalization of…

Innovation in a period of disruption Market disruptions, especially those like the COVID-19 pandemic, present a significant challenge for all…

Covid-19 takes a toll on automotive and tire industries, but GCC is a bright spot By Angie Joe, Argus Vice…

The role of fertilizers in maintaining food security during a pandemic Fertilizers play an important role in maintaining global food…

In the foothills of a bullish cycle in crude oil By David Hanna, Argus VP of Business Development, North Asia…

Chemical recycling of plastics waste – A new business opportunity in the Arabian Gulf By Dr. Mark Morgan, Vice President,…

Fostering inclusion and diversity in the Arabian Gulf chemical industry Navigating through organizational boundaries with ease and creating dynamic teams…

End user market outlook and its impact on petrochemical demand By Andy Nicholson, Business Development Manager, Petrochemicals for Argus Economic…

China’s capacity expansions amid weak recovery threaten imports By John Richardson, Senior Consultant, ICIS During the first quarter of this…

COVID-19’s Impact on the Petrochemical Industry By Mirko Rubeis, Managing Director and Partner, BCG, and Marcin Jedrzejewski, Managing Director and…

How Are Trade Measures Affecting Chemicals in the COVID-19 Crisis? By Charles Julien, Counsel, White & Case LLP As the…

COVID-19’s Impact on Chemical Supply Chains: How to Emerge Stronger By Arun Bruce, Managing Director and Partner; Benjamin Wahl, Principal;…

Plastics Industry Must Build on Recycling Progress By Sarah Rae, VP of Olefins for Argus (with input from Will Collins)…

Saudi-China Chemical Trade in a Changing Market Landscape China and Saudi Arabia are key trading partners in chemicals and petrochemicals.…

Covid-19 provides narrow window to promote the benefits of plastics By Charles P. Venezia is Senior Vice President and Global…

Bridging the Innovation Gap – IP Creation By Brigitte Baldi, Strategy Consultant, Dennemeyer Consulting Everybody active in R&D knows that…

What the Oil Price Slump Means for the GCC’s Economic Diversification With an oil price collapse and now an all…

Unveiling the Recycling Opportunity in UAE and Oman We’ve all seen photos and videos of wildlife and marine life come…

How the Chemical Industry Contributes to the GCC Economy From supporting a workforce equal to the entire population of Luxembourg…

GPCA Unveils GCC Fertilizer Market Outlook at IFA Global Markets Conference GPCA’s Secretary General, Dr. Abdulwahab Al Sadoun, delivered the…

The Impact of COVID-19 on GCC Petrochemicals Exports By John Richardson, Senior Consultant, Asia, ICIS The coronavirus crisis means that…

THE FUTURE OF PLASTICS: TRENDS AND DISRUPTIONS By Theo Jan Simons, Global Petrochemicals Practice Group Leader, McKinsey & Company To…

Chemical Surpluses Create Opportunities – and Costs By Chuck Carr, Global Business Leader of Inorganics, Chemical Market Services, IHS Markit…

A collaborative model for generating sustainable growth Saori Dubourg, Member of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF, provides a new…

Burning the Midnight Oil: Evolving Business Models in the Chemicals Industry to Champion the True Wealth of Digital By Mirko…

The future of work: rethinking the workforce model Technological innovation, the impact of advances in digitalization on companies’ workforces, and…

Crude Oil to Chemicals (COTC): A gamechanger for the chemical industry Because of its sheer scale and the volume of…

Strategic integration, consolidation and partnerships key to unlocking industry growth Yousef Al-Benyan, Vice Chairman and CEO, SABIC, and Chairman, GPCA,…

A merger of equals: Capturing the full potential of Sipchem and Sahara Saleh Bahamdan, CEO of Sahara International Petrochemical Company…

Positive long-term outlook for fertilizers fuels Ma’aden’s phosphate growth plans Darren Davis, President and CEO, Ma’aden and a speaker at…

GCC CHEMICAL SECTOR: THE ECONOMIC IMPACT Regional and global megatrends are shaping wider growth and diversification, while also creating new…

Understanding China’s new silk road and its impact on the Saudi chemical industry Since its inception in 2013, the Chinese…

Sustaining competitive advantage through strategic investment A gradual but significant shift in the global chemical industry is under way. Evolving…

Evonik sees big opportunities for specialty chemicals in the Gulf region The chemical industry in the GCC region is best…

Giant Amiral project raising the bar in the Gulf region The giant Amiral petrochemical complex at Jubail will be truly…

Urea prices recover despite oversupply of ammonia By Georgy Eliseev, Principal Analyst – Ammonia, IHS Markit The ammonia market is…

Challenges and opportunities for reducing food and nutrition insecurity in Africa through integrated soil fertility management By Dr. Ismahane Elouafi,…

Q&A: Protecting your innovation through technological growth The importance of technology development and innovation is becoming ever more pronounced as…

Specialty chemicals: Enablers of sustainable development By Marifaith Hackett, Research and Analysis, Executive Director, Renewables & Nutrition, IHS Markit We…

Ammonia, urea market overview: Implications for the region By Stephen Mitchell, Consultant, Argus FMB, and Alistair Wallace, Head of Fertilizer…

10 Years of Responsible Care® in the Arabian Gulf By Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA This year we celebrate…

Era of low oil prices – Critical Supply Chain and Procurement Strategies in GCC Chemical Industry By Vinodkumar Raghothamarao, Director…

Implications of US-China trade war on GCC chemical markets (Part 2) By John Richardson, Senior Consultant, Asia, ICIS China is…

Implications of US-China trade war on GCC chemical markets (Part 1) By John Richardson, Senior Consultant, Asia, ICIS The good…

Basel Convention Opens New Chapter in Plastic Waste Management, But More Structured Approach is Needed Addressing the global plastic waste…

The Case for Wide-Spread AEO Adoption in the GCC and beyond By Dr. Abdulwahab Al Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA Dr.…

The GCC Chemical Industry Through the Ages By Dr. Abdulwahab Al Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA In March this year, I…

Supply Chain 4.0 – A game changer for the chemical industry Arun Bruce, Partner and MD, Middle East Leader –…

Vision for the Future: Making the Circular Economy a Reality Lorraine Francourt, EHS Director, Chemicals Management and Circular Economy, Dow…

Technologies of the future: How will Crude Oil to Chemicals (COTC) transform Aramco’s competitive advantage Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, SVP Downstream, Saudi…

Three Steps to Establishing a Circular Economy: Innovate, Collaborate, Take Action Maurits van Tol, Senior Vice President, Innovation and Technology,…

Despite challenges, opportunities abound for GCC chemical companies By Paul Harnick, Global Head of Chemicals and Performance Technologies, KPMG International…

From Waste to Value: The GCC Chemical Industry’s Contribution to Circular Economy By Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA In…

The energy transition and growing circular economy challenges Middle East petrochemical developments By Alan Gelder, Vice President, EMEARC Refining and…

China’s Economic Slowdown Could Dampen Petrochemical Growth in 2019 By John Richardson, Senior Consultant, Asia, ICIS The most important factor…

Plastics in the Automotive Industry – Which Materials Will Be the Winners and Losers? The automotive industry is the second…

Assessing the IMO Sulfur Cap Regulation: Implications to 2020 and beyond As the deadline looms ahead for enforcement of the…

Tapping into the Potential of Chemical Recycling Sustainability is no longer an idealistic trend – it is now essential for…

The Middle Eastern Petrochemical Industry’s Road to New Value Growth By Mirko Rubeis, Partner and Managing Director at The Boston…

The State of the Industry 2018: A year of transformation 2018 is characterized as a year of transformation for the…

Driving diversification and transformation Yousef Al-Benyan, Chair of GPCA and CEO of SABIC, discusses the need for a strong industry…

Taking action on plastics waste How is the polymer industry as a whole reacting to the (plastics waste) situation and…

China – US Trade Wars’ Impact on Petrochemicals The series of economic tit-for-tat actions that has come to be known…

Now is the time to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution Murat Sonmez of the World Economic Forum and speaker at…

Innovation is key to meeting circular economy goals The industry is already engaging positively with the issues arising from the…

Playing the Procurement Game: Back to Basics Due to growing market disruptions and greater level of digitization, businesses are operating…

The Importance of Local Content in GCC Effective local content policies can create significant benefits for the GCC, as governments…

3D Printing: Transforming the Chemical Landscape in GCC Additive manufacturing has the potential to transform manufacturing processes, reconfigure global supply…

GCC fertilizer producers move towards specialties M&A activity in fertilizers and crop protection has been high in recent years, but…

Fertilizer industry rises to the global challenge GPCA Insight asked Rakesh Kapur, President of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) and…

How are megatrends shaping the plastics industry today? By Roberto Ribeiro, President, Townsend Solutions The average person in a developed…

Gender diversity in the workspace: why it matters and how to get there? The underrepresentation of women in leadership positions…

Feedstock availability drives growth decisions Access to competitive feedstocks is the prime consideration for CP Chem when looking to place…

Building a competitive advantage through circular chemistry GCC chemical companies are operating in a challenging environment. There are wild swings…

New US ammonia and urea capacity puts pressure on GCC exporters By Stephen Mitchell, Editor – Nitrogen, Argus Media Over…

Africa Fertilizer Market Outlook: Challenges and Opportunities for GCC Producers Africa is one of the most important fertilizer markets globally,…

How will Crude Oil to Chemicals (COTC) reshape the global petrochemical industry By R.J. Chang, Vice President, IHS Markit, Process…

OBOR: A catalyst for GCC transformation China’s USD 900 billion New Silk Road presents significant opportunities for new business and…

Building skills for the future Insufficient talent with digital supply chain skills is posing a major threat to companies’ transformation.…

The new packaging paradigm: implications for polyolefin resins As plastic manufacturers move towards more sustainable packaging solutions, how is this…

Impact from China-US tariffs on chemical markets China’s imposition of tariffs on imports from the US may have lasting implications…

The role of culture transformation in driving business performance An organization’s culture can be the single, most important factor in…

Achieving more with Responsible Care Responsible Care is widely recognized for the way it helps companies communicate their health, safety…

GPCA celebrates decade of Responsible Care progress It is almost 10 years since GPCA adopted the Responsible Care program. GPCA…

GCC players must build their M&A muscle to compete The future of chemical M&A looks promising at first sight, but…

GCC solid waste management: A problem of plenty By Abhay Bhargava, Business Head – MEA, Industrial Practice, Frost & Sullivan…

India’s DAP market in no-win situation By Mounir Halim Ph.D., VP, Business Development Fertilizers, Argus The Indian DAP market is…

Embracing the digital world GPCA talked to Mehtab Gilani of IBM GBS, who took part in a workshop on the…

Simply Bottles supports circular economy in PET Kris Barber, CEO of DGrade and a speaker at PlastiCon, answers questions about…

Taking part in GPCA’s Plastics Excellence Awards makes good business sense This year’s awards showcased yet again the best in…

Industry 4.0 – Disruptive opportunity for GCC chemical producers The real value of the digital industry will come not from…

Bunker fuels in 2020 and their impact on the petrochemical industry By Kurt Barrow – VP Oil Markets, Midstream and…

Blockchain: Reinventing the chemicals and petroleum industry Blockchain has the capability to turnaround the complete value chain of the industry.…

Addressing today’s plastic challenge Plastics use, especially in packaging, continues to grow, but plastics are coming under scrutiny because of…

Favorable outlook for GCC synthetic rubber producers Growing demand for synthetic rubber is pushing the market worth up to almost…

Driving value chain sustainability in the chemical industry In order to achieve the objectives and targets of UN Sustainable Development…

Accelerating performance in the GCC petrochemical industry Forces of change and increased uncertainty in the ever-competitive petrochemical industry in the…

EUROPE ACCELERATES THE DRIVE TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY The European Commission is putting great store in a strategy to address…

THE ROAD TO INNOVATION IS DIFFICULT AND LONG GCC chemical producers are keen to invest in R&D and digitalization to…

Leadership excellence for the digital age Leadership at the helm of progressive organizations is becoming increasingly difficult. In this special…

Polyolefins market set for improvement The polyolefins industry is in the process of re-establishing stability on a global scale, although…