Bob Maughon

Making the shift to a low-carbon world is crucial for tackling climate change and ensuring a sustainable future. 🌍✨ Our collaboration helps highlight how innovations compare to other technologies available today, paving the way for more sustainable living. 🌱🔬 #Sustainability #ClimateAction #Innovation #LYBProud

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The US chemical industry, along with other interest-rate sensitive sectors, is poised to get a lift as the US Federal Reserve moves closer towards its first interest rate cut – a move increasingly likely in September. https://lnkd.in/gkEpRttX #ICIS #ICISinsight #interestrates #FederalReserve #theFed #ratecuts #chemicals #chems

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They tackled resin costs head-on with a targeted approach. Like many plastics manufacturers, the majority of their materials were customer directed. Only $8M resins spend was addressable. Within the 30+ addressable materials, eight were identified as likely overpriced by a resins expert. These made up $4.5M of the $8M addressable spend. Click to learn the steps they took to achieve 5.6% savings on the $8M spend by focusing on their eight target resins. Are you a manufacturing leader looking to start saving in 2024? DM me, and let's discuss your untapped opportunities. You could implement $200k - $500k in savings in as little as 14 weeks, with fees based on the savings achieved. #CostReduction #Sourcing #Procurement

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I am excited about the upcoming dialogue with Eric Byer, President of the Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD). Our discussion will delve into various topics affecting the chemical distribution industry, ranging from the growing regulatory challenges to the potential benefits of digitalization. Don't miss out on this opportunity - secure your place by registering now! #chemicaldistribution, #chemicalindustry #plasticsindustry

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Had an insightful conversation this week with Jennifer Holmgren and Alex Wood Morton during the #FortuneGlobalForum about how the private and public sectors can work together to accelerate the energy transition.     While Dow and LanzaTech represent different parts of the materials science industry, we both recognize the importance of advancing a transition that is reliable, affordable and secure.      During our time together, we discussed how:  ✔️ Creating a low-emissions future isn’t just possible, but profitable too. At Dow, we’ve outlined a clear path toward achieving both by focusing our strategy to decarbonize and grow, enabled by smart policies.     ✔️ An “all of the above” approach will meet increasing energy demands by utilizing both clean and traditional energy sources as well as new, innovative technologies.     ✔️ Accelerating decarbonization across the value chain requires cross-sector collaboration, like our partnership with LanzaTech, where we worked together to create cleaning solutions made from recycled carbon – delivering both sustainability and product quality.     Catch the full conversation here: https://dow.inc/4fMI9qz Video courtesy of Fortune.

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Want to know which issues or chemical groups or regulatory issues, you need to be looking at for the next 2 to 5 years? Take a look at my predictions and let me know if I am on the right track or off the mark? I have no crystal ball per se, but using various indicators and resources from the entire Enhesa group (from conversations and initiatives from NGOs, trade groups, and regulatory authorities, to empirical political, chemical and regulatory data), we can safely make some very educated "guestimations" or "predictions".

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Important investment consolidating our position in the North American market.

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Continuing my work on specialty and fine chemicals finished a chapter on chemical distributors. A 125.1 million metric ton market valued at $186 billion in the United States in 2023, chemical distributors (also known as chemical wholesalers) comprise firms primarily engaged in the wholesale distribution of chemicals, plastics resins and basic forms and shapes, and allied chemical products. The industry is a critical link in the complex and dynamics global supply chain, providing vital chemicals to various end-use customer industries. Chemical distributors specialize in providing industrial chemicals, products and services to customers in a wide variety of industries. This year and 2025 will be mixed, but by 2026, volumes will strengthen. Chemical wholesale demand in the long-term is expected to rise an average of nearly 2% per year. 

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📢 A new episode of the Circular Plastics Podcast is now live, featuring Inari Seppä, Eastman's leader in circular advocacy. With over three decades of experience at Eastman, Inari joined me to discuss their journey toward sustainability and how circularity is reshaping plastics.   This episode dives into Eastman’s pioneering carbon renewal and polyester renewal technologies—innovations that break down plastic waste at a molecular level, transforming it into valuable resources. Learn about Eastman’s strategic investments and how they’re working towards an ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.   🎧 Tune in here: https://lnkd.in/eCBiW8y3   #CircularEconomy #PlasticsRecycling

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Electric vehicles are an essential part of the clean energy transition, and Chemours is dedicated to applying our advanced chemistry and material science knowledge to enable that future

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IN NINE OF THE biggest synthetic resins - https://lnkd.in/g4q6aKuG, we can see that China’s per capita consumption has climbed well beyond that of the Developed World despite: · China’s average per capita income being just $13,156 in 2024, according to the IMF. This compares with $50,683/tonne in the Developed World. Meanwhile, growth of per capita polymers demand in the much more populous region of the Developing World ex-China has been vastly overshadowed by growth in China: · In 1992, per capita polymers consumption in China was around 5kgs versus 4kgs in the Developing World ex-China. In 2024, ICIS estimates that China’s per capita consumption will be 82kgs compared with 18Kg in the Developing World ex-China. It seems to be broadly accepted that the three big boosts to China’s polymers demand, detailed in the above chart, are largely played out. How does China therefore maintain GDP growth at 4-5%? The chosen path is via exports, but this seems very difficult given growing trade tensions with the West, driven by reshoring. It is now pretty much accepted that for the reasons detailed in today's post, China’s annual polymers and petrochemicals demand growth is likely to fall to the low single digits over the next decade and more, down from historic double-digit growth. But might growth even turn negative? It’s a scenario you need to consider given today’s events. And if one adds the risk that China becomes pretty much self-sufficient in polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), paraxylene (PX) and mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) by 2030, how should our industry respond? The answer is to focus on value growth rather than volume growth. Producers can guarantee value growth through focusing on sustainability whereas volume growth is far from guaranteed. I will discuss some aspects of the sustainability transition in my next post, focusing just on Europe, as of course this is an enormous subject.

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In LyondellBasell's 2023 Sustainability Report, they highlight the importance of plastics in everyday sustainable living and how the company is working tirelessly to enable a circular economy and help end plastic waste. Watch the video to learn more about how LYB’s Circulen polymers help customers achieve their sustainability goals, as well as initiatives underway to expand our global mechanical recycling capacity – and more! Read the full report at https://hubs.ly/Q02xCHcD0 #Sustainability #LYBSR2023 #EndPlasticWaste #PackagingUS24

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Following a 0.3% gain in April, ACC’s Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) rose by another 0.3% in May. Significant growth was observed in South America and Asia, while other regions declined. China made the most important contribution, as demand for chemicals and plastics rose. Taiwan, Korea, and Germany also saw improvements. All segments grew, with agricultural chemicals gaining and accelerating. Global chemicals production growth was up 4.2% Y/Y.

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Please read my recent article on the use of artificial intelligence and how it can accelerate the development of paints and coatings. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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At our 2024 Investor Day today, I had the opportunity to reflect on the five years since our Spin from DowDuPont, our path forward, and the value we intend to create for shareholders. We’ve delivered a stronger, more resilient, and more innovative Dow. To recap: -Dow is competitively advantaged, financially resilient, committed to value-creating ambition opportunities, and a winning culture. -We are poised to grow our earnings as we take advantage of the cycle AND capitalize on our growth investments. -Our operating discipline is supported by a strong digital foundation that is complemented by more than two decades of traditional AI deployment and the addition of generative AI. -And there is a lot of upside from this point to generate higher shareholder returns. We’re committed – as a team – to being as disciplined moving forward as we have been over the past five years. We intend to deliver top- and bottom-line growth as the economic recovery takes hold, while maintaining the operating and financial discipline that has become the hallmark of our company. https://lnkd.in/gwMdBNiC

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🚨 Big News: DuPont Splits into Three Companies! 🚨 DuPont's decision to split into three seperate companies has caused a stir within the industry as the news broke. What do you think about this topic? #DuPont #WaterTreatment #IndustryNews

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When it comes to solving the plastic pollution crisis, ACC has consistently called for a balanced approach: retain the massive societal benefits and jobs that plastics provide, while preventing used plastics from becoming pollution. These aren’t just words—there is ample research, science, stakeholder conviction, and big-picture vision behind it. Plastics enable solar and wind energy, are critical to modern healthcare, deliver clean drinking water, and countless other critical needs. Yesterday, the Biden-Harris Administration signaled that they do not believe in American innovation and ingenuity like we do. By supporting an extreme vision for the UN Plastics Agreement, they agreed to be complicit in outsourcing American jobs and increasing the cost of goods, especially for those least able to afford it. The Senate doesn’t support this extreme approach, and neither do the hundreds of thousands of Americans who work for our industry. Think about the importance of American chemistry and plastics to helping the White House meet its sustainable development and climate change goals. Think about the good faith efforts our industry has made to partner with the Administration to tackle this problem. There is still time to right this ship. Join me in letting the Biden-Harris Administration know that the UN Plastics Agreement needs to focus on eliminating plastic waste in the environment—not eliminating plastic and outsourcing jobs. https://ow.ly/5bMj50SYQAh

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