How has the industry evolved over the past four decades?

How has the industry evolved over the past four decades?

In his farewell as editor-in-chief, Chemical Week's Ian Young sits down with Vincent Valk to reflect on his 36-year career covering the chemical industry. He highlights the industry's most significant transformations, including the rise of digitalization and artificial intelligence, as well as China's rapid development from a dependent partner in joint ventures to a dominant global powerhouse across various chemical segments. Despite current regulatory and economic hurdles, Young remains optimistic about the sector's resilience and its vital role in driving sustainability and societal progress. The Chemical Week podcast is the industry's premier platform for wide-ranging discussion of issues impacting the global chemicals sector, hosted by the editors of Chemical Week and S&P Global Commodity Insights. Subscribe to the Chemical Week podcast on your favorite platform, or visit chemweek.com/podcast to view our episode archive.

Securing supply in a turbulent environment

Nick Powell, CEO of Ingredients & Specialties from Univar Solutions, joins the podcast for a discussion about supply security and the state of the chemical distribution industry. Topics include the supply chain aftereffects of the war in the Middle East, the chemical end markets supporting growth in a low demand environment, and how AI use and careful M&A strategy can propel growth for distributors in 2026 and beyond.

Commercial uses (and misuses) of AI in the chemicals sector

Jay Bhatia, founder and CEO of Agilis, an AI-enabled software provider for chemicals, joins the podcast to discuss the development of outward-facing AI tools in the industry. Key topics include the importance of master data management, why context is critical for building accurate AI tools, and what the industry's customer base is looking for from AI.

Dow's Fitterling and ACC's Jahn on the state of the industry

In two live interviews from the 2026 World Petrochemical Conference, Dow CEO Jim Fitterling and American Chemistry Council CEO Chris Jahn discuss the state of the industry in a moment of heightened volatility. Fitterling discusses the potential impact of the Middle East war, gives an update on the Dow's Alberta net-zero cracker, and talks about the prospects for Europe's competitiveness. Jahn highlights ACC's policy and regulatory priorities, and the ongoing uncertainty around global trade.

Bonus episode: WPC gets underway in volatile world

In a special episode in advance of the 2026 World Petrochemical Conference (WPC), Chemical Week editor-in-chief Ian Young, senior editor Mark Thomas, and S&P Global Platts senior price reporter Daniela Morales join the show for a discussion of key themes and what to look out for at this year's WPC. The war in the Middle East, supply chain and tariff issues, the evolution of the industry in Asia Pacific, and the changing nature of energy transition take center stage as industry leaders prepare to gather in Houston. Hear more on key issues in the petrochemical sector at the World Petrochemical Conference (WPC 2026), taking place at Houston, TX, March 23–27, 2026. The event will bring together industry leaders and market experts to assess market shifts, margin pressures and strategic responses across global petrochemicals. For more information and to register, visit wpc.spglobal.com/en [https://wpc.spglobal.com/en] or contact wpc@spglobal.com.