Editing Imperial Chemical Industries (section)

=== Development of the business (1926–1944) ===

[[File:Catalyst - ICI magazine volumes 1.jpg|thumb|1930s volumes of ''ICI'' magazine]]

The company was founded in December 1926 from the merger of four companies: [[Brunner Mond]], [[Nobel Enterprises|Nobel Explosives]], the [[United Alkali Company]], and [[British Dyestuffs Corporation]].<ref name=history>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ici.com/History |title=ICI: History |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017121139/http://www.ici.com/History |archive-date=17 October 2008 }}</ref> ICI established its [[Imperial Chemical House|head office]] at Millbank in London in 1928.<ref name=history/> Competing with [[DuPont]] and [[IG Farben]], the new company produced [[Chemical industry|chemicals]], explosives, [[fertiliser]]s, [[insecticide]]s, [[dyestuff]]s, [[non-ferrous]] metals, and paints.<ref name=history/> In its first year, [[revenue|turnover]] was £27&nbsp;million.<ref name=history/>

During the 1920s and 1930s, the company played a key role in the development of new chemical products, including the dyestuff [[phthalocyanine]] (1929), the acrylic plastic [[polymethyl methacrylate|Perspex]] (1932),<ref name=history/> [[Dulux]] paints (1932, co-developed with DuPont),<ref name=history/> [[polyethylene]] (1937),<ref name=history/> and [[polyethylene terephthalate]] fibre known as [[Terylene]] (1941).<ref name=history/> In 1940, ICI started [[British Nylon Spinners]] as a joint venture with [[Courtaulds]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.akzonobel.com/system/images/AkzoNobel_Historybook_LoRes_tcm9-8568.pdf |title=Tomorrow's Answers Today – The History of AkzoNobel since 1646 |publisher=Akzo Nobel International |page=235 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117134913/https://www.akzonobel.com/system/images/AkzoNobel_Historybook_LoRes_tcm9-8568.pdf |archive-date=17 November 2015  |access-date=13 November 2015 }}</ref><ref>The Times, 3 January 1940, p. 12.</ref>

ICI also owned the [[Sunbeam Cycles|Sunbeam motorcycle]] business, which had come with Nobel Industries, and continued to build motorcycles until 1937.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.classicglory.com/sunbeam.htm |title=Why the BSA badge? A brief history |website=Classicglory.com |date=6 May 1916 |access-date=27 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516141358/http://www.classicglory.com/sunbeam.htm |archive-date=16 May 2012 }}</ref>

During the [[Second World War]], ICI was a major participant in Britain's war economy; its subsidiary [[Nobel Enterprises|ICI Nobel]] was involved in the production of munitions.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.linnean.org/news/2020/07/08/metal-and-memories-of-world-war-2 |title = Metal and memories of World War 2 |first = Glenn |last = Benson |publisher = The Linnean Societ |date = 8 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.solwaymilitarytrail.co.uk/trail-attractions/edingham-munitions-works/ |title = Edingham Munitions Works |website = solwaymilitarytrail.co.uk |access-date = 14 November 2024}}</ref> The company was involved with the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons programme codenamed [[Tube Alloys]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atomicarchive.com/History/british/ |title=British Mission – History of the Atomic Age |website=atomicarchive.com |access-date=29 April 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908001924/http://www.atomicarchive.com/History/british/ |archive-date=8 September 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Gowing|1964|p=52}}