Transformation and sustainability may be the new watchwords

Shrinking optimism over the longer term

Long-term optimism among chemical company CEOs may be shrinking after years of steady growth, fuelled by a global economic slowdown and trade tensions. While the one-year growth outlook is at its highest level in five years, the three-year growth outlook is conversely at its lowest in half a decade. Some of these concerns could be attributed to lingering uncertainties over China's economy, volatile oil prices, and economic uncertainties related to Brexit and the eurozone. But that would be just scratching the surface. Concerns over long-term trends in sustainability now play a much more central role. Given the close ties between the chemical and existing fossil fuels industries, chemical com