Stepan has entered agreed to the surfactant business and associated assets of PerformanX Specialty Chemicals in a deal that should close in Q3.

Stepan, the world’s largest dedicated producer of surfactants, has launched its Partners for Sustainable Supply (PaSS) programme on its sustainable procurement. This focuses on selecting goods and services suppliers to align environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance management and to ensure the use of responsibly sourced goods and services.

Stepan has opened its new Agricultural Innovation Centre in Barrow County, Georgia, near to its manufacturing site in Winder and to two major universities. The location was chosen in part for a temperate climate that will facilitate year-round testing. The centre will carry our collaborative R&D with customers in the sector. Key features include:

* A training centre for formulation development, including a virtual collaboration lab for real-time customer support and formulation training from any location with an Internet connection