Under the terms of the partnership, BASF’s Care Chemicals division and Acies Bio will use the specialised microbes and scale up the fermentation process to produce fatty acids and derivatives serving to manufacture various chemical compounds. BASF will contribute its expertise in developing processes, providing integrated value chain solutions and accessing global markets.

Acies Bio and BASF aim to combine their strengths in a co-development effort and to build on their combined research and development expertise. For BASF, the expected benefits of the project include increased scale and flexibility, leading to a diversification of the renewable feedstock portfolio and contributing to the resilience of Care Chemicals’ global supply chain.

“Biotechnology complements our chemistry to create a more sustainable future,” said Dr. Matthias Maase, Global Director Sustainability, Care Chemicals BASF. “We are very pleased to have found the right partner in Acies Bio to further develop this innovation at an early stage. With a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, our research scope of the partnership covers the entire chain from production strain development to large scale manufacturing. This will be of benefit to our customers in Personal Care, Home Care and I&I and Industrial Formulators worldwide.”