REDCAR AND CLEVELAND
Archive – some of the first arrivals at the Wilton Centre gather for a team photograph in 1974.
The future – a CGI shows how the Wilton Freeport development will look, with the Wilton Centre in the background.
Waste plastic such as frozen food bags, ready-meal trays and chocolate bar wrappers, which are normally incinerated, sent to landfill or“ downcycled” to create lowervalue items such as bin bags, are broken down to a molecular level, returning them to their original chemical and oil building blocks.
The result is a hydrocarbon feedstock that can be used to make new, virgin-quality plastic.
Discarded work clothes containing polyester, originally developed by ICI chemists at Wilton Centre, are also having a new life.
“ We had a company start here which chemically breaks down the old clothes and uses that polyester to make new clothes – and so the cycle continues,” explains Steve.
Another Wilton Centre business, Oxford University spin-out Seloxium, has developed a technology which extracts valuable metals, such as platinum and palladium, from waste generated by its customers’ mining operations, for instance.
“ Seloxium already has a firm base here – with a pilot plant, laboratory and offices – and hopefully will expand even further,” adds Steve.
“ Again, it’ s all about the chemistry and that’ s how the Wilton Centre’ s reputation grew.”
There are around 60 businesses based there and, after approval of a planning application earlier this year, potentially space for a lot more with Pioneer’ s ambition to create nearly 150,000 sq ft of new technical / manufacturing space, laboratories and offices.
They will be built inside the boundary of the Teesside Freeport, which borders Wilton Centre, and occupiers of the new Wilton Freeport development will benefit from a range of incentives, including savings on stamp duty, business rates and national insurance contributions.
Steve Duffield says the go-ahead for the project is a perfect way to celebrate in Wilton Centre’ s landmark year. " While we’ re looking back at some of the fantastic times here, this is a great way to kick off the next 50 years. As these plans become reality we will be able to look forward to a very exciting future.
“ It’ s great news for Teesside, the centre and the scientists, researchers and support staff who will hopefully be working here in the not-too-distant future.”
Pioneer believes the expansion will create several hundred new jobs and its executive director Toby Reid says the work carried out there is likely to have far-reaching results.“ Companies at the Wilton Centre are tackling a range of issues, from difficult to recycle materials to removing fossil fuels from manufacturing processes,” he said.
“ The new development will allow more companies like these to get started and scale their processes in purpose-built facilities, creating jobs and, ultimately, positively impacting the health of our planet.”
As well as providing homes and future homes for innovative companies, Wilton Centre also offers a platform for debate about the future of the industry it was built to serve.
In June 2025, it hosted the first of three‘ Pioneer Presents’ events, which provided opportunities for business leaders and academics to assess the readiness of their sectors as they prepare for a net zero future.
People attending‘ Reimagining Carbon & Defossilising the UK Chemicals Industry’
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