Chemical industry, complex of processes, operations, and organizations engaged in the manufacture of chemicals and their derivatives.

Although the chemical factories may be described simply as the industry that uses chemistry and manufactures chemicals, this definition is not altogether satisfactory because it leaves open the question of what is a chemical. Definitions adopted for statistical economic purposes vary from country to country. Also the Standard International Trade Classification, published by the United Nations, includes explosives and pyrotechnic products as part of its chemicals section. But the classification does not include the man-made fibres, although the preparation of the raw materials for such fibres is as chemical as any branch of manufacture could be.
The chemical factories consists of diverse chemical manufacturing companies, including contract chemical manufacturers that convert industrial chemicals into finished product or other materials for end usefor other companies. They play a central role to the modern global economy as they help convert many chemicals and raw materials including oil, air, water, minerals, and metals into thousands of different and extremely useful products used by other industries. Chemical manufacturing also has some overlap with plastic manufacturing as different chemical companies also produce plastic alongside the main chemicals that they handle.

Contract chemical manufacturing is a unique business model for chemical manufacturers. Also referred to as toll manufacturing, contract chemical factories is specifically designed to provide support to other businesses wanting to avoid an increase in their own cost structure by outsourcing chemical production, as one example. Thereare several other justifications of why outsourcing is strategic; Capital investment avoidance, Internal distraction from other strategic objectives, not a core competency, etc. Partnering with contract chemical manufacturers like Echemi allow these businesses to avoid the additional cost and work put into setting up their own chemical production facility as well as the burden of compliance and other regulatory concerns.
The chemical factories plays a vital role in the world’s economy. By converting raw materials such as water, minerals, fossil fuels, and metals into hundreds of thousands of different products, the industry makes life as we know it possible.

Not surprisingly, the chemical sector’s income is astronomical. In 2020, it reached nearly $3,818 billion, supplying basic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, specialities, agricultural chemicals, and consumer products to companies and consumers all around the world.

It’s hard to imagine just how much of an impact the chemical factories has on our daily lives or its sheer magnitude. So where are the largest chemical plants in the world and just how gigantic are they?

For 2022, more facilities reported to TRI from the chemical manufacturing sector than from any other industry sector (3,430 facilities; 16% of all facilities that reported to TRI for 2022). This sector reported 54% of all waste managed, more than any other sector.

This large and diverse sector includes facilities producing basic chemicals and those that manufacture products through further processing of chemicals. The chart below shows the number of facilities by chemical factories subsectors that reported to TRI for 2022.