Jenn Klein is the president and CEO of SOCMA, the Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates, which has more than 150 member companies – who have operations across 243 sites - throughout the specialty chemical supply chain in North America. C&I spoke to her about the outlook for specialty chemicals and the trends she sees ahead.
C&I: Why is the specialty chemicals sector so important?
Klein: Before a semiconductor is manufactured, a pharmaceutical reaches a patient, a crop protection product improves yields, or an aircraft takes flight, chemistry comes first. That's the role specialty chemical manufacturers play every day. I often say our members make the products that make other products possible.
They develop the chemistries that make products perform better, last longer, and solve increasingly complex technical challenges. Specialty chemical manufacturers provide the essential chemistries that allow entire industries to innovate. That's why they're the backbone of modern manufacturing.
What is the outlook for specialty chemicals in the US right now?
We're seeing renewed investment across American manufacturing, in industries that depend on specialty chemical manufacturers and the critical inputs they provide. Our industry is well positioned to support that momentum.
In a mid-year industry-wide pulse poll, more than 41 percent of companies said they anticipate strong business growth, with the greatest opportunities in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and performance chemicals. The demand is there. The question is whether companies have the confidence to make the next investment.
That confidence comes from a business environment that provides regulatory certainty and encourages long-term investment. Predictable, science-based regulation helps ensure the jobs, technologies, manufacturing capacity, and resilient supply chains that accompany those investments are built here in the United States.
What are the challenges and the priorities for your members? What are the big trends you are seeing?
Specialty chemistry has become increasingly central to America's manufacturing strategy. That creates tremendous opportunity for our industry. Our members are developing new chemistries every day.
The question is whether they can commercialise those innovations at the pace of science. Moving new chemistries from the laboratory into commercial production depends on a regulatory system that is timely, predictable, and grounded in sound science. Companies make investment decisions years in advance, and they need confidence that review processes will keep pace with innovation.
At the same time, supply chain resilience remains a top concern. In our recent industry-wide pulse poll, more than half of respondents identified supply chain disruption as their most significant challenge for the remainder of 2026, underscoring the continued importance of reliable access to raw materials and domestic manufacturing capacity.
How have those challenges and priorities changed over the last few years?
Many of today's conversations about manufacturing competitiveness would sound familiar to SOCMA's founders. More than 100 years ago, US chemical manufacturers came together to form our association in response to many of the same challenges we face today: supply chain disruptions, geopolitical uncertainty, and the need for a strong domestic manufacturing base. While the issues have evolved, our mission has remained remarkably consistent.
Today's environment has reinforced something our industry has long understood: chemical manufacturers are foundational to advanced manufacturing, but the environment surrounding innovation has become more complex. Today, implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)—particularly Section 5, which governs EPA's review of new chemicals—isn't simply a regulatory discussion. It's a conversation about where innovation is commercialised and where manufacturing investment occurs.
While many in the industry expect strong business growth in 2026, they also recognize our regulatory systems need to keep pace so new technologies can move from the laboratory into American manufacturing.
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