With a groundbreaking ceremony, Evonik marks the start of a revolution in cleaning and personal care.
The new biosurfactant plant in Slovakia is a multimillion-euro investment in Evonik’s biotech hub. This will position Evonik as a commercial pioneer of high-quality, sustainable biosurfactants, as well as strengthen the site in Slovenskáupa as a strategic biotechnology center.
Rhamnolipids are biosurfactants that are used in cleaning and personal care products. Rhamnolipids from Evonik are entirely bio-based and biodegradable.
The new facility in Slovenskáupa will expand Evonik’s biotechnology platform, which is part of the company’s Nutrition & Care life sciences division. Rhamnolipid biosurfactants are more sustainably manufactured and sourced, and they play an important role in transitioning the Nutrition & Care division to a provider of system solutions.
The division’s goal is to increase its share of system solutions from 20% today to more than 50% by 2030.
The innovation power in Nutrition & Care stems from a clear focus on sustainability, which also drives its portfolio transformation.
In addition to ingredients used in household, industrial, institutional, and vehicle cleaning as well as cosmetic products, Evonik’s Nutrition & Care division uses fermentation technologies across a range of other high growth markets including sustainable animal nutrition, medical devices, advanced food ingredients and pharmaceutical drug products.
“Today is an important day for our partnership with Unilever, our employees in Slovakia, our Nutrition & Care division, and for our planet.
We are delighted that the construction of our new biosurfactant plant is now underway,” says Yann d’Hervé, head of Evonik’s Care Solutions business line.
Industrial biotechnology at Slovenská Ľupča is cutting edge. This offers interesting job prospects for biotechnologists, laboratory technicians, engineers, and many other professions.
“I am proud that our Evonik site in Slovakia will play a critical role in supplying the world with more sustainable cleaning and personal care products.
This is not just pivotal for a sustainable future, our investment here in Slovenská Ľupča is also beneficial for our region – attracting highly qualified experts that have helped establish Evonik Fermas as a biotech hub for the global market,” says Miroslav Havlik, general manager of Evonik Fermas.
Rhamnolipids are a type of biosurfactant that is produced in a sustainable manner using European corn sugar as the primary raw material. This method of utilizing biogenic carbon does not necessitate the use of petrochemical feedstocks or tropical oils.
Rhamnolipids are completely biodegradable, and because of their low-impact life cycle, they are a viable alternative to conventional surfactants. Because of their exceptional foam-forming properties, they are suitable for use in household cleaners as well as personal care products such as shampoos and micellar waters.
Their pleasant taste also allows for the formulation of oral care products, such as toothpaste, without the use of strong flavor masking ingredients.
Evonik Fermas, which is located at SlovenskáĽupča in Slovakia, was founded in 1992 as a joint venture between Degussa AG and the Slovakian company Biotikaa.s. Evonik Fermas originally used biotechnology to produce amino acids for animal feed but quickly became adept at manufacturing a range of fermentation-based products for applications in animal nutrition, pharmaceutical products and the cosmetic and personal care industry.
In the years since, the site has continued to add new products and investments, as well as improved technologies and infrastructure. In 2016, Evonik Fermas launched the first pilot plant for the fermentation-based production of sustainable biosurfactants.
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