Episode 1297: Think Tank: Trump 2.0 trade war will destabilise chemical value chains, boost reshoring

02/04/25 • 15 min

As US president Donald Trump revives his trade war, business leaders may seek certainty by switching to local and regional supply chains.

Businesses need stability, certainty to make investment decisions

Trade war could drive more national/regional industrial and chemical supply chains

But reshoring can be very expensive and time-consuming

New technologies such as 3-D printing and AI support local production

Export-dependent US chemicals have a lot to lose from a trade war

US exported more than 10 million tonnes of polyethylene (PE) to Europe in 2023

As US president Donald Trump revives his trade war, business leaders may seek certainty by switching to local and regional supply chains.

Businesses need stability, certainty to make investment decisions

Trade war could drive more national/regional industrial and chemical supply chains

But reshoring can be very expensive and time-consuming

New technologies such as 3-D printing and AI support local production

Export-dependent US chemicals have a lot to lose from a trade war

US exported more than 10 million tonnes of polyethylene (PE) to Europe in 2023

Previous Episode

Episode 1296: Podcast: Top 5 Base Oils Drivers to watch in 2025

In a changing financial and political landscape, the global base oils market is wavering between new capacity from the east and closely watching the US for new developments. 2025 looks set to pose new questions for investors and market can see changes at the touch of a key stroke.

A widening spread between approved and unapproved Group III material
A wave of new capacity, with plants particularly in Singapore and India adding competition to Group I
A tight supply of Brightstock and shifting spread between domestic and export volumes
The US dollar rally making Euro purchases more costly
Potential for US tariffs on Canada and Mexico and possible impact on crude flows

ICIS experts Samantha Wright, Mike Conolly and Sophie Udubasceanu discuss the top five drivers to watch in 2025.

Base oils are used to produce finished lubes and greases for automobiles and other machinery.

Next Episode

Episode 1298: ICIS Chemical Podcast: Look ahead to ICIS PET Value Chain Conference

Senior Editor, Recycling, Matt Tudball talks to Helen McGeough, Global Recycling Analytics Team Lead about some of the key topics that will be discussed at the upcoming ICIS PET Value Chain Conference on 6-7 March in Amsterdam.
Topics include: