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
The new Hydrogen Technologies business will be headed up by Ralph Calmes, who has been appointed Managing Director Hydrogen Technologies. Ralph, who previously led JM’s Platinum Group Metal Services business, will take up this role effective 1 October with both Eugene McKenna (Green Hydrogen) and Jo Godden (Fuel Cells) reporting directly to him. Ralph will report to Group Chief Executive Robert Macleod.
The Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG, the world’s leading producer of wood-based cellulosic fibers, has come to a mutual agreement with its longstanding Chief Executive Officer Stefan Doboczky to end his contract.
PlasticsEurope says that Europe’s plastics producers support the European Commission’s previously announced proposal for a mandatory EU recycled content target for plastics packaging, as defined in the Commission’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD). This target should be 30% for plastics packaging by 2030, PlasticsEurope says.
