Solvay has agreed a multi-year strategic collaboration with US firm Ginkgo Bioworks, which was formerly Zymergen. Under this, Solvay said, they will join forces “to unlock the power of synthetic biology as an enabler of more sustainable chemicals and materials, contributing to the transition towards more environmentally friendly solutions”.

Solvay has launched a fourth growth platform, complementing existing ones in battery materials, green hydrogen and thermoplastic composites. This will focus on developing sustainable products for multiple markets using renewable feedstocks and biotechnology.

CropEnergies, a specialist in biomass-based sustainable chemicals, has taken a licence to use Johnson Matthey’s (JM) DAVY ethyl acetate process technology in a new 50,000 tonnes/year plant at Zeitz, Germany, that will make renewable ethyl acetate from renewable ethanol feedstock using renewable energy. Ethyl acetate is widely used in cosmetics, flexible packaging and coatings, paints and adhesives, food, beverage and pharmaceutical applications.