Chemistry

Photo

Selecting the Right European Location for Life Sciences Activities

Agile and resilient: This is how manufacturers in the life sciences industry could be described during the Covid-19 pandemic. As disruption took hold in many other industries’ supply chains, life ­sciences companies moved to rapidly develop new products and build new capacity. They are maintaining this momentum, with pharmaceutical and biotech businesses showing continued interest in expanding existing operations in Europe or starting operations from scratch.

Photo

Fine Chemicals in China

Fu Xiangsheng, Vice Chairman of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, characterized China`s chemical industry as having a a surplus of basic chemicals and a shortage of functional chemicals. Indeed, the share of fine chemicals as a percentage of the total industry value is only about 45% compared to 60-70% in the US and in many European countries, and 90% in Switzerland. Thus, the Chinese government is interested in supporting the development of local fine chemicals production.

Photo

Mergers & Acquisitions Are an Integral Strategic Component

In the drive to reach growth objectives, or to maintain and enhance “critical mass”, mergers & acquisitions (M&A) has been a theme for the chemical distribution industry for years. The industry leaders (by size and geographic reach) were all built through a series of such transactions. The practice is further trickling down to the smaller and mid-sized company layer of the sector, and more distributors espouse external growth options.

Photo

Small, Modular Flow Plants

In 2020, the weakness associated with global chemical supply chains was highlighted in a dramatic manner as Covid-19 was designated a global pandemic. As a result, small modular continuous flow plants are gaining attention as an appropriate solution to secure supply chains whilst ensuring safe, sustainable processes are implemented.

Photo

Sustainable Synthesis of Biochemicals

When Circa was founded in 2006, the company’s aim was to convert non-food cellulose into high-performance, renewable chemicals, at scale — extracting value from waste biomass and addressing a gap in the market for better, more sustainable materials.

Photo

Is the Beauty Industry Sending the Wrong Message?

As gender and diversity, as well as the body positivity movement, become more and more prevalent among young consumers, beauty companies are finding that they are going to have to re-define how products are advertised if they want to stay relevant.

Photo

The Age of Sustainability

In a nutshell, reaching sustainability has become a key aspect for chemical companies and adjacent businesses along the product chain with a high entry hurdle for everyone.

Photo

Recycled and Carbon-neutral Precious Metals

Over the years, sustainability has evolved from an aspirational goal to an operational priority. Companies in every industry are being asked to incorporate more environmental stewardship into their operations and business practices.

Photo

Expanding Into Oligonucleotides

The global market for oligonucleotide therapeutics is expanding rapidly. Bachem, an innovation-driven company based in Bubendorf, Switzerland, has entered this competitive environment in 2019.

Photo

Upcycling of Post-Consumer PLA Waste

Designed for their performance and durability, synthetic plastics have become indispensable as “materials of every-day use”. However, their characteristic long life span and indiscriminate disposal have led to an acute problem of plastic pollution. In order to address this issue, the European Union is not only trying to adopt a circular system to reuse, repair and recycle plastics (circular economy) but it also aims to produce plastics out of renewable resources (biobased plastics).

Photo

Contributing to the Circular Economy

Cellugy was founded two years ago by a diverse team of young academics and professionals from Spain, Indonesia, Albania, and Denmark. Working together at Aarhus University in Denmark, the idea of developing a material based on nanocellulose as an alternative to plastic barrier coatings arose and grew into a start-up and a first product. Co-founders Isabel Alvarez-Martos and Deby Fapyane talk about their motivation and vision.

493 more articles

Interview

The UK Chemical Supply Chain
Trade and Competitiveness

The UK Chemical Supply Chain

The CBA, led by CEO Tim Doggett, is steering the UK chemical supply chain through trade uncertainty, sustainability pressures and logistics challenges, as he explains in this interview with CHEManager.