Member type: Full Member (through Cefic) + RCLG

Chemical industry
The chemical industry, with an annual turnover of €50 billion, plays an important role in the Dutch economy and is the country’s largest industrial sector after the food and beverages industry.

The chemical sector has adopted stringent safety and environmental requirements. The sector’s excellent performance is demonstrated by achievements such as the continual reduction of the number of lost-time accidents. The chemical industry also conducts its operations in an environmentally-aware manner, and has already achieved many of the emission targets specified for 2010.

400-plus chemical companies (with more than 10 employees) in the Netherlands have a total workforce of some 66,000 employees. The chemical companies jointly account for some 10% of direct employment in industry.
The chemical industry generates 2.9% of Dutch GDP. The export value of Dutch chemical products amounts to more than €60 billion. The Dutch chemical industry accounts for 25% of the country’s total expenditure on development and innovation.

National association
VNCI, the association of the Dutch chemical industry, represents the collective interests of the industry in the Netherlands. The ambition is to create an environment in which the chemical industry can grow and prosper in a competitive, sustainable, innovative and careful way and is valued because of its contributions to prosperity and the well-being of the Netherlands.

Since 1992 VNCI has been engaged in the promotion of the Responsible Care programme to parties inside and outside the chemical sector. This programme gives shape to chemical industry’s endeavours to achieve permanent improvements in its safety, health and environmental performance, and its communication of this performance.