30.04.2026 • Book

Trade and Competitiveness in the UK Chemical Sector

The CBA, led by CEO Tim Doggett, is steering the UK chemical supply chain through trade uncertainty, sustainability pressures and logistics challenges, as he explains in this interview with CHEManager.

Interview with Tim Doggett, Chemical Business Association

The Chemical Business Association (CBA) is positioning itself at the center of a rapidly changing UK chemical supply chain, navigating trade uncertainty, sustainability pressures, and growing demands on logistics and distribution. Under the leadership of Tim Doggett, Chief Executive of the CBA, the Association has expanded its influence and sharpened its focus on resilience, competitiveness, and longterm industry viability. In this interview, Christene Smith of CHEManager speaks with Doggett about the evolving priorities of the UK chemical supply chain, the impact of trade and policy decisions, and how sustainability, biobased chemistry, and supplychain transformation are reshaping the sector’s future.

CHEManager: The Chemical Business Association (CBA) represents the entire chemical supply chain. What are the most pressing challenges your members are facing right now, and how have those priorities evolved over the past year?

Tim Doggett: It’s fair to say that the CBA represents the full chemical supply chain – from manufacturers and distributors to logistics, storage, and service providers. Our members span from small SMEs to large multinationals, each with an equal voice. This unique breadth gives us a real-time view of what’s happening across the UK and global chemical landscape.

Today, we face a system under mounting strain. It’s not one issue but a convergence of multiple pressures – new and long-standing – creating a perfect storm. Decades of globalization, offshoring to China and emerging economies, rising regulation, and escalating costs have reshaped competitiveness and weakened domestic manufacturing resilience.
Added to this are global forces – geopolitical conflicts, energy volatility, climate change, technological disruption, and shifting demographics – all redefining how businesses operate. At home, UK firms face higher employment costs, regulatory uncertainty, and limited policy clarity, undermining confidence and investment.
The past decade’s shocks – from Covid-19 and Brexit to global conflicts and trade disruptions – have only intensified these challenges. As a result, members are increasingly focused on risk management, continuity, and resilience in an uncertain global environment.

Trade remains a major source of uncertainty for the sector. Which trade-related issues are currently having the greatest impact on UK chemical businesses, and where do you see the most urgent need for action?