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The Chemical Industry
The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is fundamental to modern society. With an immense variety of products, from vital medicines and foods, the construction of buildings, to transport and leisure, the industry truly does have an impact on virtually every aspect of our daily lives.
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What we do
Economics & Business Surveys
At the CIA we undertake a quarterly business survey our membership to identify arising trends, gather consensus and evaluate industry feel regarding arising issues to communicate with government and the media on operating conditions for chemical manufacturers across the quarter. Make your voice heard and drive impactful change.
Our sector is critical to the UK economy. Our companies drive innovation and deliver real advantages to high-value downstream industries and society. We work alongside member companies to build a broad understanding of our industry’s economic contribution. We aim to ensure continued growth in the chemical sectors’ contribution of £30.3 billion in annual value add to the UK economy, equivalent to an impressive 13.8% of all manufacturing. The sector is a major exporter of goods and is a significant job creator, with 138,000 employed in high-quality, well-paid jobs across the UK.
Our industry is one of the country’s biggest manufacturing exporters, sending goods to the value of more than £61 billion to other countries. The EU represents our most important market, but we continue to work closely with Government to inform and secure UK trade deals with other key chemical markets such as Japan and the USA.
Visit our chemical industry page
CIA Business Survey
At the CIA we undertake a quarterly business survey our membership to identify arising trends, gather consensus and evaluate industry feel regarding arising issues to communicate with government and the media on operating conditions for chemical manufacturers across the quarter. Make your voice heard and drive impactful change.
Supporting your business
Helping you make informed decisions
Access to databases on various topics. We provide members with timely reliable data on any economic topic within the chemical industry.
Advocacy Representation
The CIA gathers industry insights through a quarterly business surveys to advocate for our members’ interests with policy makers, regulators and other stakeholders.
Showing why we matter
Helping businesses to show business’s economic, environmental and societal impact through our Economic Reports
Have your voice heard
Participating in our Business Survey means you are not only sharing insights but you are shaping the future of the chemical industry. Our CIA Business Survey helps us to identify emerging trends, highlight operating conditions for chemical manufacturers and advocate for your interests to government and media. Your responses directly inform our engagement with policy makers, enabling us to present a comprehensive picture of the challenges and opportunities facing our sector.
What happens with the information collected?
Results from the business survey are discussed in the quarterly economic report. The data collected, and official data provided by the Office for National Statistics, is presented back to members for further analysis. A comprehensive economic report is then published, looking in detail at the topics discussed by members, in addition to the economic performance of the prior quarter and forecasts for the future.
For economics related enquiries or if you would like to find out more about our business survery please contact
Michela Borra
Economist
borram@cia.org.uk
Latest economic reports
First Quarter 2024
Q1 2024 was the first quarter of expansion in 18 months. Sales, production levels, and capacity utilisation expanded for 50% of respondents and were all above expectations made in Q4 2023.
First Quarter 2024
Q1 2024 was the first quarter of expansion in 18 months. Sales, production levels, and capacity utilisation expanded for 50% of respondents and were all above expectations made in Q4 2023.
Second Quarter 2023
the second quarter brought additional strain to chemical producers as more contractions in sales were reported. Most respondents experienced a decrease in input and energy costs from the previous quarter, but output prices also decreased.
First Quarter 2023
It was clear that after a challenging end to 2022, the first quarter of 2023 did not bring substantial relief to chemical businesses as a third of members experienced further contractions in sales.
