Coinciding with Bahrain’s National Day celebrations, the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) has concluded the 19th edition of its annual forum at Exhibition World Bahrain.
The landmark edition marked a defining moment in the forum’s history, as it was convened for the first time under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and Bapco Energies board of directors chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Hosted by Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC), the forum brought together regional and global industry leaders, policymakers, and experts to shape the future of the chemical industry through dialogue on sustainability, digital transformation, innovation, and inclusive growth.
The timing and setting of this year’s forum underscored Bahrain’s role as a regional hub for industrial leadership and international collaboration.
The forum highlighted key findings from GPCA’s latest report, ‘Driving ESG Adoption: Progress and Challenges in the GCC Petrochemical Industry,’ which revealed that 79 per cent of GCC petrochemical companies now publish ESG reports and maintain formal ESG committees, reflecting strong board-level accountability.
Adoption of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework by GCC chemical companies has reached 83pc, surpassing the global heavy industry average of 70pc, while 88pc of companies have implemented responsible supply-chain systems, reinforcing ethical and transparent operations.
Building on last year’s momentum, the GPCA Sustainability Pavilion returned for its second edition, featuring three dedicated zones – Environment, Social, and Governance – and introduced a Carbon Markets Workshop for the first time, reflecting the sector’s growing focus on climate-related financial mechanisms.
Investment in human capital remained a central theme throughout the forum.
The fourth GPCA Youth Forum, led by the GPCA Youth Council, attracted more than 320 young professionals and students from across the Gulf.
Over four days, participants engaged in knowledge exchange, mentorship, and forward-looking discussions on the future of the chemical industry.
With 95pc of GCC companies involved in community initiatives and near-universal support for STEM programmes, the region continues to outperform global averages, where only 63pc of chemical companies offer structured youth programmes.
The forum also hosted the second edition of the Women in Chemicals workshop, delivered by McKinsey & Company in collaboration with GPCA on December 10.
The session explored the role of AI in organisational management.
Discussions throughout the forum reflected the GCC petrochemical sector’s accelerating transition towards a low-carbon economy, driven by clean technologies, circular economy solutions, and renewable energy integration. In this context, the GPCA Startup Nexus, now in its second edition, provided a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase breakthrough solutions in circular economy and climate action, while the third GPCA Solutions Xchange served as a hub for strategic partnerships and innovations spanning plastics circularity, carbon management, and digitalisation.
Commenting on the forum, Dr Abdulwahab Al Sadoun, secretary general of GPCA, said: “The 19th annual GPCA forum reflects our industry’s unwavering commitment to sustainability, innovation, and inclusive leadership. GCC chemical companies are today surpassing global benchmarks across several ESG indicators, including youth empowerment and ESG reporting. This milestone edition, held in Bahrain under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Nasser, demonstrates that our region is not only keeping pace with global developments, but actively shaping new standards for competitiveness and responsible growth.”
Held under the theme ‘Catalysing Competitiveness through Strategic Partnerships,’ the forum concluded with participation from 2,586 delegates representing 450 companies from 42 countries, reaffirming its position as a leading global platform for dialogue, collaboration, and strategic alignment across the chemical industry value chain.
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