The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) celebrated its 10th anniversary recently, marking a decade of networking, thought leadership and advocacy for the downstream hydrocarbons industry in the Arabian Gulf.

Since the inception of the association in 2006, the GCC's petrochemical capacity has actually more than doubled from 65.8 million lots, to 142.5 million lots in 2015. The GPCA, on the other hand, has actually grown from 8 charter member, to 250 members in the same period.

"Over the last decade, the GPCA has emerged from a modest company with a vision, to the prominent voice of the petrochemical industry that motivates the GCC downstream market to be more transparent, accountable and collaborative," stated Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA. "The expansion of our occasions, depth of thought management researches and breadth of our subscription are a reflection of the potential of this industry to be major factor in the Arabian Gulf's drive towards economic diversification.".

GPCA commemorated its anniversary with an exclusive invitation-only event for its members which hosted a panel with former Ministers H.E. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Chairman of the Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development and Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar; and H.E. Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Zamil, Former Minister of Industry and Electricity, Saudi Arabia and Former Vice Chairman and CEO, SABIC. The two previous Ministers shared their memories on the remarkable business owners who developed a brand-new industrial pillar for the economies of the countries in the Arabian Gulf region.

A 2nd panel about a decade of achievements by GPCA hosted Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, President, GPIC, and Dr. Moayyed Al-Qurtas, Chairman of the GPCA Research & Innovation Committee and previous CEO of TASNEE. Both were members of GPCA's very first Board of Directors.

Dr. Jawahery and Dr. Al-Qurtas highlighted that a key milestone for the GPCA happened in 2009, when the association signed on to Responsible Care, a worldwide standard for the chemical industry that aligns, audits and implements optimal practice in health, environmental performance and security. Ever since, all 35 complete members have actually signed on to this around the world arrangement.

"Accords like Responsible Care make sure that the chemical industry is not just responsible for their operations and output, however likewise communicates with their essential stakeholders, be it government, regulatory authorities, as well as wider communities. This framework is the method forward for the downstream sector and we are proud to be acknowledged by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) as one of the top carrying out associations worldwide for our application of the Responsible Care charter" explained Dr. Al-Sadoun. "The success of this effort, and the GPCA as a whole, would not have actually been possible without the unwavering support of our eight charter member, to which we owe our deepest gratitude.".

Along with a hectic calendar of conferences that cover plastics, fertilizers, petrochemicals supply chain, research and innovation and sustainability, the GPCA also publishes files and researches that supply details on capacity, earnings, trade and employment.

"With wide-ranging reports and the members-only petrochemical database, we have actually established a thorough impression of where the downstream industry was, where it is presently, and where it will go," continued Dr. Al-Sadoun. "We hope that our reporting structure motivates our members to tape their operations, so that people not just comprehend the significance of this market, but likewise to make them more liable to stakeholders. The values of responsibility, openness and obligation foster trust, which is a crucial action that will drive the chemical industry onwards and upwards.".