The Sustainable Chemicals Summit 2026 will bring together leaders from industry, government, academia and the investment community to explore how the UK can accelerate the transition to a more sustainable chemicals and materials sector.

As the UK seeks to strengthen industrial resilience, defossilise manufacturing and drive economic growth, the summit will examine the policies, technologies and partnerships needed to move sustainable chemical innovations from the laboratory to commercial reality.

This event is designed for chemical manufacturers, technology developers, policymakers, investors, researchers, innovation organisations and supply chain partners committed to building a globally competitive UK chemicals industry.

Agenda:

10:00 | Welcome | TBC

10:05 | State of the Nation | Tim Bowtell, Alliance Chemical Associations (TBC)

10:30 | Sustainable Chemicals and Materials Policy Landscape

• Modern Industrial Strategy and Economic Growth | DBT 
• National Resilience and Defossilisation | DESNZ
• Engineering Biology and Innovation | DSIT
• UK Packaging Landscape | Defra

11:10 | Sustainable Chemicals: Scaling Up from Innovation to Industrial Scale

• The Great British Chemicals Project | Professor Peter Styring, University of Sheffield
• The Sustainable Chemicals and Materials Manufacturing Hub | Greg Sulley, Industry and Partnerships Manager, University of Oxford (TBC)
• Bio-based Chemicals and Materials | Jen Vanderhoven, CEO, BBIA
• A Downstream Chemicals Strategy | David Bott, Innovation Lead, Society for Chemicals Industries
• Life Cycle Assessment for Scaling Sustainable Chemicals and Materials | Professor Rachael Rothman, University of Sheffield

12:10 Cluster Opportunities

• BioIndustrial Cluster North | Tracey Preston-Taylor, YNYCA
• Shaping the North-West through the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Catalyst | Neil Dixon, University of Manchester
• Grangemouth as a Leading Hub for Sustainable Chemicals | Aileen Lamb, Scottish Enterprise

12:40 Lunch & Networking

13:30 Fireside Chat: An Industry Reality Check

Chaired by Anju-Massey Brooker, Royal Society Chemistry

Fiona Mischel, Associate Director, Strategic Development, Holiferm

Geoff Brighty, Head of Sustainability, Mura Technology (TBC)

Geoff Bryant, Entrepreneur in Residence, Besoz Centre for Sustainable Protein

14:00 Breakout Workshops

Participants join one of two breakout groups.

Group A: Creating Demand, Policy & Regulation | Led by Nishma Patel, CIA (TBC) and Jen Vanderhoven, BBIA.

• How do we create markets for sustainable chemicals?
• What policy changes are needed within the next Parliament?

Group B: Investment & Scale-Up, Regional Growth & Skills | Led by Mark Corbett, Director, Biorenewables Development Centre and Alex Smith, Director of Biotechnology, CPI

• How can we scale more sustainable chemical innovations in the UK?
• How do we build more first-of-a-kind plants in the UK?
• How do we create jobs and strengthen UK manufacturing clusters?

15:00 Breakout Workshop Feeback

15:45 The Big Vote

Participants vote on:

• The Three Actions Government Should Prioritise
• The Three Actions Industry Should Prioritise

16:00 Close