Revolution in Cleaning and Personal Care

Evonik marks the start of a revolution in cleaning and personal care with groundbreaking ceremony. The new biosurfactant facility represents a three-digit million euro investment in Evonik's biotechnology center in Slovakia. This will position Evonik as a pioneer in high-quality, sustainable biosurfactants at commercial scale and further strengthen the site in Slovenská Ľupča as a strategic hub for biotechnology. Rhamnolipids are biosurfactants and key components of cleaning and personal care products. Evonik's rhamnolipids are 100% bio-based and 100% biodegradable. The new facility in Slovenská Ľupča will expand Evonik's biotechnology platform, an integral part of the company's life sciences division Nutrition & Care. Rhamnolipid biosurfactants are produced and supplied in a more sustainable manner and play an important role in the Nutrition and Care division's transition to a systems solutions provider. The division aims to increase the share of systems solutions it offers to above 50% by 2030. The innovation power in Nutrition & Care stems from a clear focus on sustainability that also drives portfolio transformation. Evonik's Nutrition and Care division uses fermentation technologies not only in components for household, industrial, institutional and vehicle cleaning as well as cosmetic products, but also in a number of other high-growth markets including sustainable animal nutrition, medical devices, advanced food ingredients and pharmaceutical products. Yannd'Hervé, Head of Care Solutions Business at Evonik, said: "Today is an important day for our partnership with Unilever, our employees in Slovakia, our Nutrition and Care division and our planet. We are very pleased to continue construction of our new biosurfactant facility." The industrial biotechnology at the Slovenská Ľupča site is state-of-the-art. It offers interesting job opportunities for biotechnology specialists, laboratory technicians, engineers and many other professions. Miroslav Havlik, General Manager of Evonik Fermas, said: "I am proud that Evonik's site in Slovakia will play a critical role in providing the world with more sustainable cleaning and personal care products. This is not only crucial for a sustainable future, but our investment in Slovenská Ľupča also benefits the region. Evonik Fermas is attracting highly qualified experts who have helped establish it as a biotechnology center for the global market." Rhamnolipids are a class of biosurfactant produced sustainably through a fermentation process using European corn sugar as the primary raw material. This use of biogenic carbon requires neither petrochemical feedstock nor tropical oils. Rhamnolipids are fully biodegradable and have low environmental life cycle impacts, making them a sustainable alternative to conventional surfactants. Their exceptional foaming properties make them suitable for use in household cleaners and personal care products such as shampoos and micellar waters. Their pleasant taste also enables formulation of oral care products such as toothpaste without the need for strong taste masking ingredients. Evonik Fermas, located in Slovenská Ľupča in Slovakia, was founded in 1992 as a joint venture between Degussa AG and Slovak company Biotika a.s. Evonik Fermas initially used biotechnology to produce amino acids for animal feed, but quickly mastered the production of a range of fermentation-based products for animal nutrition, pharmaceutical and cosmetic and personal care industry applications. In subsequent years the site continued to add new products and investments, advanced technologies and infrastructure. In 2016, Evonik Fermas operated its first pilot facility for the production of sustainable biosurfactants through fermentation. SOURCE