Sumitomo Chemical, along with private equity firm Outlook Investment Group, has announced an investment in Sweegen, a maker of stevia-based sweeteners for the food market. Terms of the investment, including its size, have not been disclosed. Sweegen launched a product line of stevia sweeteners combined with modulators, mouthfeel, and texture ingredients earlier this year.
The investment will help fund the expansion of a manufacturing site in Europe to produce 3,000 metric tons/year of stevia sweeteners, Sweegen says. “We are developing our strategic partnership with SweeGen to be part of the continuous success in providing the natural sweetener market with the latest innovations and advanced technologies, and also extending our established relationship into new ventures in the field of synthetic biology,” says Hiroshi Ueda, vice president at Sumitomo Chemical.
By Vincent Valk
Source: Chemical Week
3M and Dow have announced they are cutting thousands of roles from their global workforces in response to economic pressures. Dow has said it will cut 2,000 jobs across its global workforce (around 5%) in a bid to save US$1bn in 2023. The company says it will also cut costs by shutting down “select assets”, though it did not note where it would halt operations.
Sweden’s state mining firm has discovered what could be Europe’s largest rare earths deposit, and says it could help the bloc reduce its reliance on imports of minerals needed to manufacture clean technologies and meet climate targets.
Henkel and Avantium have been partners since 2019, when Henkel joined the PEFerence consortium. This consortium of partners, coordinated by Avantium, aims to establish an innovative supply chain for FDCA and PEF (polyethylene furanoate).
