TO BE PUBLISHED September 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for the UK chemical industry, with a focus on competitiveness, regulation, sustainability and the management of chemicals in the environment. Areas for discussion include industrial resilience and investment, UK REACH reform, energy and carbon cost pressures, circular and low-carbon production, and priorities for PFAS management, pollution prevention and remediation.
It will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss the way forward as the Government progresses chemicals regulation reform, following confirmation of the Alternative Transitional Registration Model for UK REACH. Discussion will also consider related work on industrial strategy, economic resilience and environmental improvement.
Delegates will assess what these developments mean in practice for manufacturers and downstream users, as well as regulators, advisers and technology providers. This will include implications for compliance and market access, investment certainty, domestic capability and supply chain resilience.
Further discussion will consider how the sector can respond to pressures on production costs, international competitiveness and workforce capacity, while supporting decarbonisation, circularity and responsible chemicals management. Sessions will also examine treatment, disposal and remediation of pollutants, including PFAS - and what recent decisions mean for affected communities, downstream users and the bodies responsible for monitoring, clean-up and public health - alongside the role of innovation, monitoring and safer alternatives in supporting practical approaches to prevention and environmental protection.
Policy, costs, workforce priorities & maintaining resilience
Taking place following recent site closures, rising costs and international competition, the conference will consider what is needed from industrial policy, regulation and government-industry coordination as the sector responds to pressures on production costs, investment, supply chains and workforce capacity - including how support such as the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme and the £350m Critical Chemicals Resilience Fund will work in practice.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- energy costs: industrial electricity and gas prices - implications for competitiveness - the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme
- carbon leakage: risks of offshoring and reduced domestic production - supply chain impacts - links with decarbonisation policy
- investment confidence: Industrial Strategy implementation - long-term certainty - attracting capital for growth and modernisation
- critical chemicals: priorities for the Critical Chemicals Resilience Fund - domestic capability - supply chain vulnerabilities
- workforce capacity: process engineering, digital and net zero skills - recruitment and retention - long-term capability
- trade and markets: international competition - regulatory divergence and EU alignment - implications of carbon border measures
Sustainability, circularity & decarbonisation
Discussion will consider decarbonisation and resource efficiency in the chemicals and plastics sectors, including priorities ahead of further work on the Circular Economy Growth Plan. Sessions will look at the role of electrification, hydrogen, CCUS, alternative feedstocks and circular production models.
Attendees will consider what is needed to support deployment, investment and innovation, while taking account of production costs, infrastructure requirements and commercial viability.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- low-carbon production: electrification, hydrogen and CCUS - deployment practicalities - implications for production costs
- circularity: resource efficiency - plastics circularity - scaling circular systems and technologies
- chemical recycling: advanced recycling technologies - regulatory considerations - contribution to circular economy objectives
- sustainable feedstocks: reducing reliance on virgin materials - resource security - implications for production models
- investment: policy certainty and incentives - financing requirements - barriers to deployment
- industrial clusters: shared infrastructure - economies of scale - support for circular and low-carbon production
Regulatory reform
Delegates will consider developments to UK REACH following the Government’s response to its recent consultation, including confirmation of the Alternative Transitional Registration Model and intentions for greater alignment with EU policy.
Discussion will examine practical implications for manufacturers, downstream users and advisers, including compliance costs, duplication, product development, trade, supply chains and longer-term regulatory certainty, as well as the interaction of the Great Britain regime with arrangements applying in Northern Ireland. We expect consideration of how regulation can support investment and innovation while maintaining environmental and human health protections.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- UK REACH: Alternative Transitional Registration Model implementation - transition timelines - implications for manufacturers and downstream users
- EU alignment: convergence with EU regulation - trade and market access - balancing alignment with UK priorities
- compliance: costs and administrative requirements - implications for SMEs - reducing uncertainty and duplication
- innovation: product development and commercialisation - maintaining safety and environmental standards - enabling market confidence
- supply chains: sourcing and continuity - managing disruption - impacts on investment and competitiveness
- regulatory efficiency: decision-making timescales - fragmentation - investment confidence
- permitting: environmental approvals - capacity and delays - implications for industrial expansion and infrastructure
Pollution prevention & remediation
Delegates will discuss implementation of the PFAS Plan and priorities under the Environmental Improvement Plan for identifying sources of chemical pollution, reducing exposure and strengthening prevention and remediation. Areas for discussion include the relative roles of restrictions and substitution at source, targeted risk-based regulation, monitoring and remediation in reducing environmental and human exposure.
Drawing on the Government’s recent response to the Environmental Audit Committee’s work on PFAS, sessions will assess approaches to regulation, treatment, disposal, and long-term management of pollutants, including the Government’s decision not to make new commitments at this stage on broad restrictions on PFAS in consumer products and its emphasis on further assessment and targeted regulatory action. Discussion will explore stakeholder perspectives and implications for public health, affected communities, water companies and farmers, alongside safer alternatives, monitoring, remediation technologies and responsibilities for downstream sectors.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- PFAS regulation: implications of the Environmental Audit Committee’s findings - prevention and remediation - regulatory approach and scope - cooperation with EU regulators
- pollution pathways: identifying sources and exposure routes - reducing contamination - monitoring and enforcement
- water quality: assessing data from the Environment Agency’s latest Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations classifications - priorities for chemical health across UK waterways - coordination between regulators, water companies and chemical users
- treatment capacity: disposal and long-term management - safe handling - infrastructure and financing considerations
- remediation technologies: monitoring, treatment and destruction - routes to deployment - delivery challenges
- safer alternatives: innovation in substitution - alternative materials - implications for industry and users
- downstream sectors: responsibilities of chemical users - agriculture, pesticides, fertilisers and sludge management - Polluter Pays Principle
- agricultural land and food production:
- proposed reforms to sludge spreading rules - chemical contamination and environmental monitoring
- implications for farmers, water companies and waste operators - interaction with future UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary arrangements
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Climate Change Committee; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; HM Treasury; Environment Agency; Health and Safety Executive; Maritime and Coastguard Agency; Office for Environmental Protection; Office for National Statistics; Ofwat; Government Office for Science; Natural Resources Wales; National Wealth Fund; the Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
