The chemical industry in the United Kingdom is one of the UK's main manufacturing industries. At one time, the UK's chemical industry was a world leader. The industry has also been environmentally damaging, and includes radioactive nuclear industries.
Alexander Parkes in 1855 develops the first plastic, in Birmingham, a form of celluloid. Daniel Spill, his assistant, develops it further, as xylonite. The American John Wesley Hyatt later tries to claim the patent, after developing another process for celluloid, with camphor, in 1869. The subsequent British Xylonite Company, formed in 1877, later becomes BX Plastics. A division, Cascelloid, formed in Leicestershire in 1919, becomes Palitoy. Another division, Halex, made sports products.
Sir William Henry Perkin FRS discovered the first synthetic dye mauveine in 1856, produced from aniline, having tried to synthesise quinine at his home on Cable Street in east London. Perkin's work, alone, led the way to the British chemical industry.
21% of the UK's chemical industry is in North West England, notably around Runcorn and Widnes. The chemical industry is 6.8% of UK manufacturing; around 85% of the UK chemical industry is in England.
It employs 500,000, including 350,000 indirectly.
It accounts for around 20% of the UK's research and development.
In 2015, the UK chemical industry exported £50bn of products. [1]
Below the UK chemical industry, the UK automotive industry exports £35bn, and the UK aerospace industry exports £32bn. [2]
The industry employs about 30,000 in research and development. The industry invests £5bn in research. The UK automotive industry invests £2.7bn and the UK aerospace industry invests £2.1bn.
Centres of research include the National Formulation Centre at Sedgefield, the Advanced Propulsion Centre in Coventry, with the nearby UK Battery Industrialisation Centre, and the Centre for Process Innovation in the north east. Unilever Research & Development Port Sunlight Laboratory is in the north west. BP has the Sunbury Research Centre in south-west London.
Regulation of the UK chemical industry is largely under the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals legislation (REACH).
Teesside and Cheshire are areas with an established chemical industry. Significant chemical plants in the UK include:
Significant chemical companies in the UK have been:
Relevant organisations related to the UK chemical industry are the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), the Chemical Industries Association, and the Society of Chemical Industry. The chemical industry in Europe is represented by the European Chemical Industry Council or CEFIC.
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain. It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926. Its headquarters were at Millbank in London. ICI was a constituent of the FT 30 and later the FTSE 100 indices.
The chemical industry comprises the companies and other organizations that develop and produce industrial, specialty and other chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials into commodity chemicals for industrial and consumer products. It includes industries for petrochemicals such as polymers for plastics and synthetic fibers; inorganic chemicals such as acids and alkalis; agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides; and other categories such as industrial gases, speciality chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Teesside is a built-up area around the River Tees in North East England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The area contains the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Billingham, Redcar, Thornaby-on-Tees, and Ingleby Barwick. Teesside's economy was once dominated by heavy manufacturing until deindustrialisation in the latter half of the 20th century. Chemical production continues to contribute significantly to Teesside's economy.
Daniel Spill was born in Winterbourne, Gloucestershire, England. He became a rubber and an early thermoplastics manufacturer. For over 20 years Spill had pursued the goal of making a successful business from Alexander Parkes' invention Parkesine, the first man-made plastic.
Ineos Group Limited is a British multinational conglomerate headquartered and registered in London. As of 2021, it was the fourth largest chemical company in the world, with additional operations in fuel, packaging and food, construction, automotive, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and professional sports. Ineos is organised into about 20 standalone business units, each with its own board and operating almost entirely independently, although founder Jim Ratcliffe, who owns a controlling interest, and his associates, who collectively own a minority share, sit on their boards occasionally.
Stallingborough is a village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,234.
Croda International plc is a British speciality chemicals company based at Snaith, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
The Distillers Company plc was a leading Scotch whisky company and, at one time, a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was taken over in 1986 by Guinness & Co. and is now part of Diageo.
Sir James Arthur Ratcliffe is a British billionaire, chemical engineer, and businessman. Ratcliffe is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the INEOS chemicals group, which he founded in 1998.
Fawley Refinery is an oil refinery located at Fawley, Hampshire, England. The refinery is owned by Esso Petroleum Company Limited, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, which acquired the site in 1925. Situated on Southampton Water, it was rebuilt and extended in 1951 and is now the largest oil refinery in the United Kingdom, and one of the most complex refineries in Europe. With a capacity of 270,000 barrels (43,000 m3) per day, Fawley provides 20 per cent of the UK's refinery capacity. Over 2,500 people are employed at the site.
BX Plastics was a plastics engineering and production company. The company was one of three subsidiaries of the British Xylonite Company established by 1938. BX Plastics made xylonite and Lactoid at a plant to the south of Brantham in Suffolk, on the north bank of the River Stour across the river from Manningtree in Essex. The company was liquidated in 1999.
Altrad Babcock Ltd is a power sector OEM, construction, upgrade, and after-market services company that offers specialist services and technologies to the fossil-fired power generation, nuclear power generation, and oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. AB's main headquarters are in Crawley, England. European headquarters are in Renfrew, Scotland. The company has manufacturing facilities in the UK, Germany, India, Vietnam and South Korea, and 17 offices around the world.
Elementis plc is one of the UK's largest speciality chemicals and personal care businesses, with extensive operations in the United States, Europe and Asia. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Grangemouth Refinery is an oil refinery complex located on the Firth of Forth in Grangemouth, Scotland, currently operated by Petroineos. It is the only operating crude oil refinery in Scotland and currently one of the six remaining refineries in the UK. Grangemouth is the oldest refinery in the UK and supplies 65% of Scotland's oil products, including petrol and diesel.
The Billingham Manufacturing Plant is a large chemical works based in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, England. In agricultural terms, it is one of the most important factories in Britain.
The south bank of the Humber Estuary in England is a relatively unpopulated area containing large scale industrial development built from the 1950s onward, including national scale petroleum and chemical plants as well as gigawatt scale gas fired power stations.
The history of Warrington began when it was founded by the Romans at an important crossing place on the River Mersey. The Roman name for the settlement is not known but there is speculation that it could have been Veratinum which is listed as a Roman habitation in the area during the occupation period. A new settlement was established by the Saxon Wærings. By the Middle Ages, Warrington had emerged as a market town at the lowest bridging point of the river. A local tradition of textile and tool production dates from this time. The expansion and urbanisation of Warrington coincided with the Industrial Revolution, particularly after the Mersey was made navigable in the 18th century. Warrington became a manufacturing town and a centre of steel, textiles, brewing, tanning and chemical industries.
The Sunbury Research Centre -- also known as ICBT Sunbury—is a main research institute of BP in north-east Surrey.
Marl Chemical Park is an industrial park in Marl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the third largest industrial cluster in Germany and among the largest chemical production facilities in Europe. The site occupies over 6 square kilometers, hosts 100 chemical plants, employs 10,000 people, and produces 4 million metric tons of chemicals annually. 18 companies are based in the Park, including primary tenant Evonik Industries AG, which also owns and operates the infrastructure through its subsidiary Infracor GmbH.
Lavéra Refinery is an oil refinery complex located 30 miles west of Marseilles, France, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is currently operated by Petroineos.