Our Region
Our Region
As one of the largest industries globally, the chemical industry is a key supplier for numerous sectors of the economy, providing innovative solutions to today’s economic and environmental challenges.
With a turnover of 180 billion Euro and more than 350,000 persons employed in the chemical industry (2015), the trilateral region of North Rhine Westphalia (DE), Flanders (BE) and the Netherlands is home to one of the world’s most powerful chemical industry clusters
with a long history in the three regions.
Almost 20% of the sector’s total turnover at European level is generated by the trilateral chemical industry. Building upon its Verbund structure, i.e. the tight physical integration of chemical plants in the three regions, the trilateral chemical industry profits from a very efficient production structure. In terms of chemical sales per capita, the trilateral region is even by far the highest performing chemical region worldwide with approximately EUR 3,600 in sales per capita (China: EUR 1,300; Japan: EUR 1,500; USA: EUR 2,400).
The chemical industry is a highly innovative industry
in the trilateral economy; no other industry gives rise to so many innovation impulses to downstream value chains. Being the home base
for some of the world’s largest chemical companies, the region also belongs to the main R&D investors in Europe. Beside global players the structure is consists of a large variety of SMEs, start-ups and a diverse and high-quality R&D landscape.
Taken together, the three regions form the ’industrial heart’ of the European chemical industry.
The importance of the chemical industry for the trilateral region itself can clearly be seen in a sectoral comparison with other important industries. With a share of 5.5% of the economy, the chemical industry is, in terms of turnover, one of the largest industrial sectors in the trilateral region.
