One of the UK’s most regulated industrial sectors has today welcomed the publishing of the government’s European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, also known as the Repeal Bill. 

Steve Elliott, Chief Executive of the Chemical Industries Association said “our industry is highly regulated and has to be, in order to give assurance. Chemical businesses across the UK will be grateful for any certainty and continuity that this bill provides”. 

Elliott continued, “Since the UK voted to leave the European Union, securing regulatory continuity has been one of our key priorities. For years now UK companies have complied with European Union chemicals regulations including REACH – the regulation for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of chemicals – and CLP – the regulation for the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of chemicals”. 

The Association, which represents chemical and pharmaceutical companies across the UK, has been working with Government and others to show the impact of various Brexit scenarios and will continue this work. 

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• The CIA is the Chemical Industries Association. The Association has member companies located across the UK. Our members are chemical and pharmaceutical businesses. Our industry is one of the UK’s top manufacturing exporters.
• The chemical and pharmaceutical industry adds £14.4 billion of value to the UK economy every year from total annual turnover of over £40 billion. This represents around 10% of the value added by the whole of UK manufacturing.
• In addition to gross value added, the sector also contributes to the UK economy in its position at the head of many supply chains within manufacturing and its employment of a well remunerated, high-skilled workforce. Chemical manufacturing adds £9 billion in gross value added annually and pharmaceutical manufacturing £5 billion.
• UK chemical and pharmaceutical companies invest around £4 billion in capital and R&D.
• The UK is a leading global chemical and pharmaceutical producer. The UK is the 11th largest chemical and pharmaceutical producer in the world and the 4th largest producer in the European Union.
• The wider chemical and pharmaceutical sector (manufacturing plus distribution) is the largest exporter of manufactured goods with annual exports of close to £50 billion. The export of motor vehicle, trailers and semi-trailers is the sector with next highest exports of £35 billion.
• 63% of companies in the sector export what they make to the world, the highest proportion of any goods manufacturing sector in the UK economy.
• We employ or are responsible for around half a million jobs throughout the UK