Evonik has officially inaugurated its new sustainable bio-surfactant plant together with key customers in Slovakia. The triple-digit million-euro facility is the first worldwide to manufacture industrial-scale quantities of rhamnolipid bio-surfactants. These exceptionally high-quality, sustainable bio-surfactants are already transforming the cleaning, beauty and personal care industries and have huge potential in many other applications. 

“We go beyond to create entirely new solutions and drive the sustainable transformation across multiple industries. Our leadership, based on systems thinking and a shared vision with our customers, has made this scalable action possible,” said Christian Kullmann, CEO of Evonik.

Evonik has been leading the development of industrial-scale biosurfactants with its IP-protected, fermentation-based process for rhamnolipid production. Rhamnolipids are made from renewable corn feedstocks using a biotechnological process. This yields a high-performing, non-toxic, biodegradable bio-surfactant. Rhamnolipids are increasingly in demand because they provide a sustainable alternative to surfactants based on fossil sources or tropical oils.

By 2030, Evonik aims to have invested more than €3 billion in Next Generation Solutions – products with superior sustainability benefits. One example is the biosurfactant technology platform that Evonik is building to serve diverse industries. 

Evonik’s expertise in biotechnology is spearheaded by its life sciences division, Nutrition & Care. Driven by sustainability, the division is using innovative biosolutions to address the challenges of biocircular care through closed-loop carbon systems, while maintaining high functionality and preserving biodiversity. In addition to biosurfactants, Nutrition & Care’s biosolutions include biotech actives, cell culture solutions and nucleic acid-based medicines.