High-performance biopolymers will soon be available for use at industrial scale, contributing to a more circular economy with new renewable materials

WILMINGTON, Del., Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IFF (NYSE:IFF) and Kemira today announced their next step in the collaboration to commercialize a portfolio of unique, renewable polymers derived from IFF's cutting-edge Designed Enzymatic Biomaterials (DEB) technology platform. These unique, renewable polymers derived from plant sugars will be available for the first time at industrial scale to supply a range of markets. This new market development biomanufacturing facility will be integrated into Chemigate Ltd's biorefinery, a member of the Berner Group in Finland, and will be operational in mid-2024.

The IFF-Kemira collaboration addresses Kemira's growing demand for alternatives to traditional fossil-based synthetic polymers across pulp, paper, and paper-based packaging markets and in industrial and municipal water treatment sectors. This follows Kemira's advances in application development programs, particularly in strength, dewatering, and barrier applications.

IFF's DEB technology was launched earlier in 2023 for use in home and personal care markets. By expanding the application and commercialization of its DEB technology, IFF's customers will now have access to the new product lines of high-performance material solutions that promote a circular bioeconomy at a sufficient scale for industrial use. This will enable IFF to commercially supply lead customers and support strategic application development programs at scale. These materials expand IFF's AURIST™ biopolymers for personal care applications, and IFF's Nuvolve® engineered polysaccharides for industrial applications.

"In today's world, innovation must go hand-in-hand with sustainability," said Christian Lenges, IFF venture director. "It is a topic of conversation at nearly every customer meeting. For years, 'green' products were deemed inferior in performance to fossil-based alternatives, but this is no longer the case. We are proud to leverage our bioscience knowledge to develop the DEB technology platform, allowing us to provide the first commercial quantities for our partners and customers."

"This is a major step in our growth strategy implementation and our journey to build a leading renewable materials portfolio," said Sampo Lahtinen, SVP growth accelerator, Kemira Oyj. "This cutting-edge biotechnology platform enables the production of renewable polymers, which combine high performance with significant improvements in the sustainability profile, including end-of-life properties such as recyclability and biodegradability. We are excited to scale up new alternatives to fossil-based products without compromising performance and competitiveness."

"We're pleased to support IFF and Kemira with material biomanufacturing integrated at our biorefinery at Finnamyl, with the aim of driving positive change across a range of industries," said Tom Schauman, CEO, Chemigate. "Manufacturers will now have access to commercially relevant quantities of IFF's Designed Enzymatic Biomaterials, to improve sustainability across a series of market segments."

To learn more about how the DEB technology platform is powering a new frontier in biomaterial innovation, visit here.

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