Page 159 - CW E-Magazine (6-2-2024)

News from Abroad

The German firm Symrise, which “possible collusion in the supply of evidence that the companies may
was also being investigated by the perfumes and perfumery ingredi- have violated cartel law. They alleg-
CMA, was not named in the expanded ents.” edly coordinated their pricing policy,
probe. prevented their competitors from
The EU competition enforcer said supplying specific customers and
The case for far… it had been in contact with the US restricted the production of certain
In March 2023, the European Department of Justice and competi- perfumes.
Commission announced it had car- tion agencies in Britain and Switzer-
ried out unannounced inspections land and that the raids were conduc- The CMA also opened its inves-
on the premises of companies active ted in consultation with them. The tigation, setting a deadline of early
in the fragrance industry (including same month the Swiss Competition 2024 for analysing and reviewing
Firmenich, Givaudan, IFF and Sym- Commission (Comco) also opened information gathered from the com-
rise). The investigation concerned an investigation. Comco said it had panies.

SUSTAINABILITY-DRIVEN BIOSOLUTIONS
Evonik begins production at rhamnolipid bio-

surfactant plant in Slovakia

Germany’s Evonik has manufac-
tured the first product from its industrial-
scale facility for sustainable biosur-
factants that has been completed ahead
of schedule at its site in Slovakia. The
company said the new “triple-digit mil-
lion-euro” facility is the first worldwide
to produce sustainable rhamnolipid
biosurfactants.
Rhamnolipids are a class of biosur-
factants that are sustainably manufac-
tured via a fermentation process using
corn sugar as the main raw material.
This biogenic, carbon-based process
does not require petrochemical feed-
stocks or tropical oils. Rhamnolipids
are fully biodegradable and offer a
sustainable alternative to convention- ble biosurfactants in Evonik’s portfolio located in Slovenská Ľupča in Slovakia,
al surfactants due to their biobased draw on the company’s biotechnology was founded in 1992 as a joint venture
raw materials, and low toxicological platform in its life sciences division, between Degussa AG and Biotika a.s.
and ecotoxicological profile. Their Nutrition & Care. The company initially produced amino
exceptional foam-forming properties acids for animal feed using biotechno-
and mildness make them ideal for use “Our high-performance rhamno- logy, but in 1998 became a 100% subsi-
in household cleaners and personal lipids are setting a precedent, not only diary of Evonik, expanding its expertise
care products such as shampoos and at Evonik, but as part of a broader sus- to include the production of fermenta-
micellar waters. They also offer superior tainable chemicals revolution. We are tion-based products for animal nutrition,
performance for industrial applications excited to be leading the way with our pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and personal
such as coatings, mining and oil & gas. biosolutions,” said Mr. Johann-Caspar care. In 2016, Evonik Fermas ran the
Gammelin, President of Evonik’s first pilot plant for the production of sus-
Rhamnolipids and other sustaina- Nutrition & Care division. Evonik Fermas, tainable biosurfactants via fermentation.

Chemical Weekly February 6, 2024 159

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