23-05-2025
From Crisis to Catalyst: How Chemicals Are Powering Tomorrow
For the chemicals industry—so deeply embedded in the machinery of global trade—2025 is a reckoning. In conversations with executives across the sector, one theme surfaced again and again: uncertainty. But beneath the noise, a deeper shift is underway. The industry is no longer content to react; it is rethinking where it operates, how it builds resilience and what role it will now play in a fractured, fast-changing world.
And nowhere is this upheaval more apparent than in the turning tides of geopolitics. With supply chain disruptions from the Red Sea to the Panama Canal, conflict from Ukraine to the Middle East and now sweeping tariffs under a second Trump administration in the U.S., the industry is recalibrating—adapting to a world tilting away from global integration toward fragmentation and self-protection.
The old logic—low-cost global trade, predictable policy, centralized production—is breaking down. In its place, a new playbook is emerging: one rooted in resilience, reinvention and a sharper sense of long-term purpose. But pressure doesn't just disrupt—it accelerates change. In chemistry, as in life, higher pressures lead to faster reactions. This report captures that pivot, in the voices of those confronting it firsthand.
Roberto Ramos, CEO, Braskem. Credit: Coutesy of Braskem.
Roberto Ramos, CEO, Braskem. Credit: Coutesy of Braskem.
The most significant change is the demise of the European producers, particularly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This affected the availability of gas for power generation, causing energy prices to triple. Companies in Europe simply couldn't compete with the rising energy costs.
Roberto Ramos, CEO, Braskem.
Jean-Yves Parisot, CEO, Symrise. Credit: Courtesy of Symrise.
Jean-Yves Parisot, CEO, Symrise. Credit: Courtesy of Symrise.
Our biggest challenge is balancing customer needs with innovation. Despite economic pressures and rising tariffs, we're committed to investing in innovation, particularly in health, well-being and beauty. Sourcing natural raw materials is also a challenge, especially with climate change impacting agriculture.
Jean-Yves Parisot, CEO, Symrise.
This report has been paid for by a third party. The views and opinions expressed are not those of Newsweek and are not an endorsement of the products, services or persons mentioned.
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