Chemicals Policy Roundtable: creating connections
The fourth episode of our roundtable series brought together delegates from industry, government, academia, NGOs, professional bodies and more...
We hosted our fourth Royal Society of Chemistry Chemicals Policy Roundtable on 1 October 2026. This event brought together delegates from industry, government, academia, NGOs, professional bodies and more to discuss issues of chemicals policy, management, and innovation, as well as discussion sessions to facilitate dialogue, learning, and cocreation of ideas for future work.
The agenda for the event included a presentation from RSC colleagues on our recent report on the economic contribution of chemistry, followed by breakout discussions on how the chemical sciences ecosystem underpins the UK's industrial strategy and economic growth ambitions national and locally.
Defra and the Health and Safety Executive updated the group on REACH and CLP reforms, including sharing information on the new consultation on the Alternative Transitional Registration mechanism for UK REACH. We also heard from CPI about their work to foster connections between industry and academia to support innovation on sustainable chemicals and materials.
We also heard from the Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance at Imperial College London, who launched their new report on a Downstream Chemicals Sector Strategy for the UK. The group discussed the proposed actions and identified opportunities for collaboration and mutual support.
Stephanie Metzger, RSC Policy Advisor on Sustainable Chemicals, who organised the event, said: "This has been our biggest and best attended roundtable yet, with representatives from a number of government departments and bodies, as well as expert input from our sister societies, industry and academia.
"I am so grateful to our colleagues and partners from across the sector for their continued input, constructive debate, and drive to create both positive outcomes for the chemistry community and better policy."
RSC CEO Dr Helen Pain summing up a constructive day of conversation and making connections
Watch highlights from the roundtable
Hear more about the event from our attendees in our video below: