With sales of £34 billion, the Chemical Industry is one of the largest manufacturing industries in the UK and has one of the highest growth rates.

It is the UK’s manufacturing number one exporter, having generated trade surplus of £4.6 billion on 2000. Approximately 240,000 people are employed in the manufacture of chemical ingredients used in the production of a wide range of products such as pharmaceuticals, paints, plastics and textiles.

All chemicals end up being used in products and services purchased by the consumer, There may be many stages between the processing of a chemical and the final consumer, but it is estimated that each UK household either directly or indirectly spends around £30/week on chemicals.

Chemical is a complex sub-sector which deals with issues such as health and safety and the management of environmental impact and risk. It is usually a part of Science, Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies but it is useful to break it down further:

    * Nuclear - e.g. Fuel Processing
    * Oil & Gas
    * Petroleum
    * Pharmaceuticals
    * Bioscience
    * Polymers

 Bioscience is working in core biotechnology, drug discovery, plant genetics, wound healing, medical devices, and bioanalytical equipment. The healthcare and environmental areas of the biosciences are developing rapidly. In the local York cluster there are more than 85 bioscience organisations, which together employ more than 3 800 people.  45 of these companies are based in York, and there is also significant activity in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Malton, Ripon, Skipton, Thirsk and business growth throughout North Yorkshire.