Summary Portrait

Who is the "VCI"? Which are the tasks of the association? This description in a nutshell gives you a quick insight into the significance, the services and the history of the organisation.

Significance

With some 1,900 member companies the German chemical industry association Verband der Chemischen Industrie (VCI) stands for over 90 percent of the chemical-pharmaceutical industry in Germany in terms of turnover. In 2022 the industry realised sales of around 266,5 billion euros and employed over 530,000 staff. The VCI has 22 sector associations covering all product sectors of the industry as well as 8 regional associations. This makes the VCI one of the three major industry organisations in Germany. Additionally to headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the VCI has a capital office in Berlin and a European liaison office in Brussels.

Tasks

The VCI represents the politico-economic interests of German chemical and pharma-ceutical companies and German subsidiaries of foreign businesses vis-à-vis important target groups: politicians, public authorities, other industries, science and media. Committees, expert groups, working parties and project groups develop the positions of the industry in the topical fields of energy, climate protection and raw materials, communication, sustainability, product and plant safety, legal affairs and taxation, environmental protection, transport, economic affairs, science and research. The VCI’s Chemical Industry Fund supports young talent in science, basic chemical research and chemistry teaching in schools.

Presidential Council and Management

The activities of the association are directed by an honorary Presidential Council which is elected by the general assembly. The President represents the VCI externally and internally. He is nominated by the Presidential Council and elected by the general assembly for a term of 24 months. The decisions by the organs of the association are implemented by the VCI’s full-time management and around 120 staff.

Self-concept

The actions of the VCI are determined by fairness, openness, transparency, integrity and the guidelines of Chemie3 (the sustainability initiative of the German chemical industry).

Services

The VCI supports its member companies with exclusive services. Here some examples:

• The platform “REACH and CLP” for the implementation of both regulations,
• implementation aids for the sustainability initiative Chemie³ ,
• purchasing cooperations,
• “Ausgleichsvereinigung Chemie” for social security payments for artists.

Member companies are informed every two weeks by the digital newsletter VCI-Branchenticker – Chemie und Pharma im Blick as well as various topic-specific expert tickers about industry-relevant developments and services of the VCI. You also get exclusive access to reports on the economic development of the chemical markets in Germany, Europe and the world on the VCI website.

History

The VCI looks back on 142 years of history. Founded in 1877 as an organisation to safeguard the interests of the German chemical industry (“Verein zur Wahrung der Interessen der Chemischen Industrie Deutschlands”) it was initially based in Berlin. In 1934 the Nazi regime forcibly dissolved the association within the enforced conformity policy and replaced it by the centrally steered “Wirtschaftsgruppe chemische Industrie”. After World War II the association was re-established on 8 December 1950 under its present name “Verband der Chemischen Industrie e. V.” (VCI) with headquarters in Frankfurt am Main.