Reims is worldwide known as the capital of Champagne, the excellent sparkling wine that is made in the Champagne region of France using the traditional method (méthode traditionnelle). Founded by the Gauls, Reims became a major city in the Roman Empire and played later a prominent ceremonial role in French monarchical history as the traditional site of the coronation of the kings of France. From 19 to 21 March Reims will be also the capital of the industrial biotechnology and bio-based economy.
There is a new company in the global bioeconomy: Novonesis. On December 12, 2022, Novozymes and Chr. Hansen entered into an agreement to create a leading global biosolutions partner through a statutory merger of the two companies. All regulatory approvals and registrations are now in place and the proposed combination is successfully completed following the final registration with the Danish Business Authority.
Lallemand Inc, a global leader within industrial biotechnology headquartered in Montreal (Canada), confirmed the closing in December 2023 of the acquisition by its subsidiary Danstar Ferment AG of Swiss biotechnology business Evolva AG from Evolva Holding AG. The transaction which was originally announced to the Swiss Stock Exchange on 21 November 2023 was approved by Evolva Holding shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting on 21st December 2023.
L’Oréal invested in a venture led by Geno, the California-headquartered biotechnology company, to create sustainable alternatives to key ingredients in beauty products. The French multinational company will be a founding member of the venture alongside Unilever and Kao.
After announcing its €15 million Serie A funding round, the sustainable chemical company GFBiochemicals entered into an agreement with German chemical giant BASF. Specifically, BTC Europe GmbH, BASF’s European distribution organization, and NXTLEVVEL Biochem, a joint venture and manufactoring arm of GFBiochemicals, signed an agreement on the distribution of biobased and biodegradable solvents derived from levulinic acid for the European market.
British biotechnology company Ingenza has concluded its recent six-month project with Johnson Matthey, a speciality chemicals and sustainable technologies supplier. Together, the companies have developed new, efficient approaches for the production of industrially-relevant enzymes – including cytochrome P450 – through judicious selection of suitable microbial hosts.
Material manufacturer Covestro and biotechnology pioneer Genomatica announced an important industry milestone to advance sustainability resulting from their partnership. The two companies have teamed to be the first to successfully produce significant volumes of a plant-based version of the chemical raw material HMDA (hexamethylenediamine).
Evonik has made a follow-up investment in the biotechnology start-up In Ovo through its venture capital unit. The investment comes as the young company reaches the commercialization stage for its technology and is bringing its gender-testing machine for eggs to the market. Together with co-investor VisVires New Protein Capital, Evonik Venture Capital has provided several million euros in further funding. Evonik Venture Capital first invested in the Leiden, Netherlands-based company in 2018, providing support for a technology that helps solve one of the egg industry’s biggest ethical problems.
Univar Solutions Inc., a global chemical and ingredient distributor and provider of value-added services, and Novozymes, the world leader in biological solutions, signed a new agreement to expand the partnership into the United States and Canadian food ingredients markets. The new food ingredients agreement takes effect May 1, one month after the companies announced an exclusive agreement expanding the partnership into the United States and Canadian beverage production, homecare, and industrial cleaning markets.
Amyris, a leading synthetic biotechnology company in Clean Health and Beauty markets through its consumer brands, and a top supplier of sustainable and natural ingredients, successfully scaled up the commercial production of Cannabigerol (CBG) leveraging its industrial fermentation process capability.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 