IFF and Kemira launch USD 142.6M facility for renewable biobased materials
The Alpha Bio facility is set to start production in late 2027, with plans to convert up to 44,000 metric tons of plant sugars into bioproducts.
FINLAND – IFF, an American corporation renowned for its scents, flavours, and ingredient innovations, and Kemira, a chemical industry group, have invested approximately €130 million(USD 142.61 million) to establish a new joint venture, Alpha Bio.
The facility is set up for the large-scale production of renewable biobased materials, including high-performance biopolymers for applications in home and personal care and industrial solutions.
The facility’s production will leverage IFF’s Designed Enzymatic Biomaterial (DEB) platform technology, which will be integrated at the IFF biorefinery in Kotka, Finland.
IFF’s DEB platform uses plant-based sugars and enzymes in a mild process to produce customizable biobased materials.
This process provides a sustainable alternative to fossil-based synthetic polymers while maintaining high purity, consistency, and product performance across various applications.
Erik Fyrwald, IFF CEO, stated, “Our partnership with Kemira has reached a significant milestone, enabling us to scale the production of groundbreaking biobased materials to meet the large and growing demand for high-performing and sustainable alternatives to fossil-derived polymers.”
“This innovative approach allows us to combine biodegradability and material sustainability while maintaining cost efficiency and the high performance our customers expect.”
The joint venture will operate independently in Kotka and exclusively manufacture products utilizing DEB technology for IFF and Kemira.
Kemira specializes in providing innovative products and services for water-intensive industries, including water treatment, fiber production, and renewable solutions.
In the fiscal year 2024, Kemira reported an annual revenue of €2.9 billion (USD 3.18 billion).
Recently, IFF introduced the Science of Performance, a program designed to optimize scent performance by targeting three key scientific pathways that regulate fragrance release over time, ultimately enhancing the overall sensory experience.
The program integrates decades of measured data with proprietary AI technology, supported by advanced sensory, technical, consumer, and market expertise across various end-user applications.
This program focuses on three distinct scientific tracks: Fragrance Engineering, which uses AI tools and consumer insights to enhance scent design; sustainable fragrance delivery systems, which leverage technologies like fragrance encapsulation for optimal performance and additive materials, which modify scent profiles, stability, and overall effectiveness.
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