Flue2Chem - Building a UK value chain in converting industrial waste gases into sustainable materials for consumer products.

Steel, paper, and chemical plants in the UK currently release waste gases that could instead be turned into the ingredients for shampoo bottles, laundry detergents, and other consumer goods. The problem is that these waste gases are either burned for energy or vented, while the consumer goods industry imports most of its chemical feedstocks from outside the UK—often from fossil-based sources. This project, Flue2Chem, aims to build a new industrial value chain that captures carbon-rich waste gases from foundation industries and converts them into affordable, sustainable chemicals. The work is not just technical: it also involves designing the economic incentives—such as carbon taxes on imported fossil-based materials—that would make this industrial symbiosis financially viable. If successful, the project could displace imported, non-sustainable materials with a domestic supply chain that simultaneously cuts emissions from heavy industry. The partners span the entire value chain, from gas emitters to chemical processors to consumer product manufacturers, meaning the model is designed for real-world deployment rather than laboratory demonstration.