LONDON (ICIS)--Europe oxo-alcohols and derivatives markets have seen a subdued level of activity in December amid ample supply across derivative markets and sluggish demand.

For 2026, many remain sceptical surrounding the prospect of demand recovery tied in part to the potential of infrastructure spending and any resolution to ongoing geopolitical issues.

Glycol ethers editor Cameron Birch speaks to oxo-alcohols and butyl acetate editor Marion Boakye and acrylate esters editor Mathew Jolin-Beech about market conditions and expectations for the near future.

In the second of a two-part Sustainably Speaking podcast special, Helen McGeough, ICIS Global Analyst Team Lead for Plastics Recycling talks to long-standing veterans of the European recycling industry about the current state of the market and steps for the future.

In Part 2, Helen is joined by Bernard Merkx who has an extensive background in the recycling industry and is the former President of Plastics Recyclers Europe, to take a look at the challenges still facing the recycling markets today, including:

• Risk of bankruptcies, high energy costs and price volatility to persist to 2027
• New recycling capacities focused on packaging at the expense of the automotive and construction sector despite upcoming recycled content targets
• How imports into the EU remain essential in the short-term
• Plus some calls to action for Europe’s recycling industry

With the prospect of global overcapacity easing from around 2030, Middle East petrochemical players are debating how to monetise their plentiful natural gas supplies.

• Middle East producers plan a major new capacity wave after 2030,
• Long‑term strategy centres on monetising hydrocarbons beyond 2030
• China’s overcapacity cycle may ease by around 2030,
• Debate about staying focused on simple, large‑volume commodity grades or moves into higher‑value or specialty polymers
• Climate‑driven demographic and economic pressures in the Global South could reshape demand
• Chinese competition in high‑value chemicals is intensifying
• Maintaining strong ties with China remains important today
• Massive crude oil‑to‑chemicals (COTC) ambitions are being moderated
• Partnerships and M&A are key tools for Middle East companies to secure technology, expand globally, and balance portfolios

In this Think Tank podcast, Will Beacham interviews ICIS senior consultant John Richardson.
Download a special issue of ICIS Chemical Business with full coverage of the recent Gulf Petrochemical Association (GPCA) event.