Kemira and IFF announce completion of renewable polymer plant in Finland

As part of a strategic collaboration to provide new renewable alternatives to fossil-based products, Kemira and IFF announce the completion of a market-access-scale industrial polymer plant.

The unit is capable of producing unique renewable polymers for Kemira’s customers and is based on the patented Designer Enzyme Biomaterials platform technology (DEB™) developed by IFF.

The unit is operated by Chemigate, a member of the Berner Group, and is located within Chemigate Ltd’s Finnamyl Biorefinery in Kokemäki, Finland.

Kemira and IFF are exploring options to further expand their exclusive partnership. These options include evaluating investments to establish a manufacturing joint venture focused on commercial-scale production based on the DEB™ technology platform. The full-scale unit will be located at IFF’s biorefinery in Kotka, Finland.

“Building the market-access scale production unit is a great collaborative achievement for our team and customers. We continue to receive positive feedback from the market supporting the demand for this new technology. We are excited to continue building momentum in strategic markets such as paper and board packaging and water treatment,” said Sampo Lahtinen, Senior Vice President, Growth Accelerators at Kemira.

“IFF and Kemira have been working exclusively together to bring new renewable products to market. The successful construction and ongoing commissioning of this market-access scale facility enables IFF and Kemira to support first-time adoption by customers in various markets. Our companies are committed to leading the materials transition in Europe by delivering new competitive alternatives to fossil-based products and driving growth of the bioeconomy through groundbreaking biotechnology-driven innovations”, said Christian Lenges, Director of IFF Venture.