Responsible Business

Building our business today and tomorrow

As the chemical industry faces increasing pressure to find sustainable feedstock solutions, being solution-oriented becomes imperative. With proven expertise in producing chemicals from bio-based raw materials, Sekab offers current and prospective customers partnerships for change.

SEKABS BIO-BASED PRODUCTS aid customers across Europe in reducing their carbon footprint. With 96% of all manufacturing industries utilizing chemicals in their processes, these are comparatively easy to replace compared to other emission reduction measures. The year 2023 posed challenges for the European industry, impacting organizations’ capacity to prioritize the transition to more sustainable input materials For Sekab, the focus this year has been on continuing to advocate for and demonstrate the benefits of bio-based chemicals, while also preparing customers to be ready to take the leap when the market shifts. Dialogues with current and potential customers revolve around both Sekab’s current products and those downstream from them.

“An increasing number of companies are beginning to review their purchased raw materials and consider how to make them more sustainable. We receive inquiries about manufacturing entirely new products, as well as collaborating with end customers and their suppliers,” says Adam Lindholm, Head of Sales and Business Development.

Sekab’s Code of Conduct is included in all our contracts to ensure that all customers and suppliers share our values. Zero tolerance applies, of course, to bribery, corruption, and other anticompetitive practices. Good business ethics and transparency permeate everything we do, and through clarity in our commitments and requirements towards suppliers, we ensure the integrity of our operations.

Developing entirely new products demands a lot from Sekab’s research and development efforts. In 2023, Sekab recruited Anna Svedberg as the Head of Research and Development. In her role, Anna will lead the development work towards new products where collaboration with customers, technology suppliers, research entities, and academia will be crucial for Sekab’s advancement.

“Sekab has fantastic opportunities. Our long-standing experience in manufacturing chemicals from ethanol gives us a significant competitive advantage as we look ahead. It’s not a lack of ideas; thus, our most important task is to select the most attractive paths and swiftly bring them to the market,” says Anna Svedberg.

 

points out of maximum five was the outcome from our customer survey

 

New work methods for the right focus

Green chemicals will eventually be needed in all industries, but to choose the right paths to develop right now, Sekab works together to identify the most profitable and interesting projects. To drive this, a new approach that more clearly integrates development work with business has been implemented in 2023. All new business ideas or products are handled in a so-called project forum with representatives from development, marketing, finance, and technology.

From cars to butanediol

Examples of development projects that have been in focus this year demonstrate the scope of Sekab’s expertise and the importance of being stringent in prioritization.

• The Polestar 0 project, where Polestar has gathered several heavyweight actors to create a completely climate-neutral car by 2030, is moving forward. In 2023, the work to map out all value chains has intensified, and more partners have joined. It becomes very clear how chemicals are a significant part of a car.
• Sekab has been granted research funding from Vinnova under the Bioinnovation program to produce butanediol from a sugar stream through fermentation. Butanediol is a platform chemical with broad usage and demonstrates an intriguing route in a highly interesting area to produce green chemicals from sugar through fermentation. In the project, Sekab’s technology is utilized to produce sugar from softwood and forest residues, and sugar will be produced in Sekab’s demonstration facility for the technology. The project is conducted in collaboration with RISE Processum, Metsä Board in Husum, and Höglandssågen, and it will run for the next two years.
• The work on developing the technology platform CelluApp, which produces second-generation ethanol from residual products of the forest industry, continues in collaboration with the Indian partner Praj.
• Sekab is also leading several projects focusing on new products downstream from primarily acetaldehyde, which could eventually have a significant positive impact on broad consumer-related industries.