Chemical industry snapshot
The beating of the Belgian industry
The chemical, plastics and life sciences industry is a strategic pillar of the Belgian economy. With a turnover of around 75 billion euros and nearly 100,000 direct jobs, the sector is one of the most important industries in Belgium. It accounts for one third of all Belgian exports, around 40% of industrial value-added and two thirds of all private investment in research and development (R&D).
Although Belgium, with 11.7 million inhabitants, only represents 2.6% of Europe’s population, it’s the third most important exporting country for chemicals and pharmaceuticals in the European Union, with a share of around 10%, and a major global hub for production, innovation and distribution.
On a per capita basis Belgium remains one of the world leaders in the sales of chemicals and plastics, and a European frontrunner in clinical trials, biotech and new medicine development. As Belgium’s number one sector for export and innovation, the chemical, plastics and life sciences industry contributes significantly to the country’s prosperity and strategic industrial autonomy.
At the same time, the sector is at a turning point. Exports have been declining for three consecutive years, employment has fallen for two years in a row and new investment announcements remain limited. High energy and CO2 costs, complex regulation and increasingly assertive industrial policies in the United States and China are putting Belgium’s international competitiveness under growing pressure.
Forming a global hub
Belgium is home to the largest integrated chemical cluster in Europe and one of the largest and most specialized in the world. Delivering the essential building blocks to all other industrial sectors, the chemical industry in Belgium occupies a central position as a world-class chemicals hub.
More than 75% of employment in the Belgian chemical and life sciences industry is generated by foreign-based parent companies. This underlines Belgium’s crucial role as an open, internationally connected industrial platform, but also makes the country highly exposed to global investment decisions and shifting competitive conditions.
Export champion under pressure
Chemicals, plastics and pharmaceuticals are Belgium’s top export products, accounting for 32% of total Belgian exports. Around 90% of production is exported, creating a positive trade balance. Neighbouring countries, particularly Germany, the Netherlands and France, are key trading partners.
However, Belgium’s export leadership is increasingly under pressure. In 2025, sector exports declined by almost 5%, while exports to markets outside the European Union fell by almost 10%. Trade tensions and global overcapacity are weighing on international competitiveness, illustrating the urgent need for a more assertive European industrial policy and fairer global competition.
Clustering for efficiency
Belgium hosts a world-class chemical cluster at the port of Antwerp-Bruges, where several of the world’s leading chemical companies have major production sites. Located at the centre of the Western European pipeline network, Antwerp is directly connected with the main industrial sub-clusters in Belgium, the Ruhr area in Germany and chemical parks in the Netherlands. Plastic processing companies are spread across the country, with strong specialisation in advanced materials, recycling technologies and high-quality industrial applications.
Its scale, integration and proximity to customers make Belgium a crucial supplier of essential materials and building blocks for industrial value chains across Europe.
Expertise in life sciences
Life sciences companies are mainly clustered in the Walloon-Brabant province, east of Brussels and close to leading universities, as well as around Antwerp. Ghent is home to a biotech valley bringing together world-class expertise in the field of medical, industrial and agricultural biotechnology. Together, these ecosystems make Belgium the health & biotech valley of Europe, with industry-leading expertise in R&D, biomanufacturing, vaccines, clinical trials and healthcare transport.
Investing in research
The sector spent €7 billion on R&D 2025, confirming its position as Belgium’s largest private investor in research and innovation. The majority of R&D expenditure is carried out in-house, while outsourced research reflects close collaboration between companies, universities and research centres for boosting innovation.
Over the past decade, R&D expenditure by the chemical and life sciences industry has more than doubled, mainly driven by pharmaceutical and biotech companies. At the same time, investment in sustainable chemistry, circular plastics and low-carbon production is increasing.
How are we doing?
Strengths
- A unique and highly integrated cluster of chemical companies covering the whole value chain, forming the largest integrated chemical cluster in Europe and one of the largest and most specialized in the world
- An attractive and strategic investment location at the heart of industrial Europe, the Western European pipeline network and the broader trilateral chemical region
- Easy access to raw materials and export markets via important seaports – Antwerp-Bruges and North Sea Port Ghent– and high-quality air cargo infrastructure for pharmaceuticals at Brussels and Liège airports.
- Competitive logistical infrastructure with tailor-made tank storage terminals, multimodal connections and specialised distribution platforms
- Operational excellence and high safety standards World-class energy efficiency and strong expertise in industrial decarbonisation technologies
- A highly-skilled workforce ensuring world-class technical expertise for many key products and production processes
- A broad range of state-of-the-art sectoral competence centers to train, reskill and upskill employees, students and jobseekers
- Strong collaboration with universities, including dedicated Chairs on Process Safety and a specific spearhead cluster for innovation in chemistry and plastics: Catalisti
- Excellence in industrial and academic research and a unique innovation ecosystem. Chemistry, pharma and biotech represent more than 40% of all Belgian patents at the European Patent Office, being the highest share in the world
- A leading position in pharmaceuticals, biotech, vaccines, clinical trials, biomanufacturing and life sciences logistics
- A high degree of specialization in plastic recycling and circular materials, making Belgium the European champion in the recycling of plastic packaging and plastic construction materials.
- A wide choice of science parks, incubators and innovation centres, like BlueChem, the incubator for sustainable chemistry in Antwerp
- A strong network between companies, authorities, and customers to implement REACH,CLP and other European chemicals legislation
- A strategic sector in the economic and industrial policy of the Belgian and regional authorities
Challenges
- High energy and CO2 costs in Europe compared to competing regions in the rest of the world
- Increasingly fierce global competition, driven by industrial policy, subsidies, tariffs and large-scale investment programmes outside Europe
- Declining exports and loss of market share in global trade, despite the sector’s continued role as Belgium’s leading export industry
- Relatively high labour costs Ageing workforce and an ongoing need to attract, train and retain new technical, scientific and digital talent
Our contribution to a competitive Europe
Contributing to a sustainable future
Belgium is at the forefront of sustainable chemistry and life sciences, in close collaboration with universities, research centers, companies and public authorities. It’s chemical and life sciences industry provides the essential building blocks for strategic European value chains.
The government of Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, prioritises cluster policy, industrial transformation and the valorisation of research. It supports innovation hubs with the ambition of becoming a leading European region for sustainable industry, circular chemistry and climate technologies.
Catalisti, the spearhead cluster for innovation in chemicals and plastics, was launched by essenscia and involves more than 100 companies and all Flemish universities, with the support of the Flemish government. Its mission is to accelerate the transition towards sustainability by promoting open innovation, identifying and catalysing breakthrough innovations and supporting collaborations between industry and research partners. It focuses on renewable chemicals, circular feedstocks, the use of waste and side streams, process intensification and sustainable products.. Catalisti operates from BlueChem, the incubator for sustainable chemistry in Antwerp, and coordinates the Moonshot-initiative: a long-term programme for groundbreaking climate innovations aimed at making the Flemish industry CO2 circular and low-carbon.
Best European ecosystem for sustainable chemistry
BlueChem, BlueApp and the NextGen District in the Antwerp port area together form a unique innovation ecosystem, helping start-ups and companies move from laboratory research to pilot projects and industrial scale-up. In 2025, this Antwerp ecosystem for sustainable chemistry won the European Enterprise Promotion Award (EEPA) in the category ‘Supporting the Sustainable Transition’.
In Wallonia, the southern part of Belgium, the Walloon government focuses on industrial policy, including sustainable chemistry, health innovation and biotechnology. GreenWin, its sustainable chemistry cluster, brings together small and large enterprises, universities, research centres, training organizations and public partners. GreenWin is organised around the life cycle of materials: development of sustainable products and materials, theirsustainable integration and use, and treatment and valorisation of waste and wastewater.
A second cluster, BioWin, brings together more than 100 health biotechnology and medical technology companies. Another cluster is PlastiWin, supports the Walloon plastics industry. Together, these clusters strengthen Belgium’s position as an industrial innovation hub.
The sector is also strongly involved in Circular Flanders and Circular Wallonia, both initiatives designed to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy.
