Evonik achieves ISCC PLUS sustainability certification for specialty chemicals production in Essen

• Third party sustainability accreditation for Essen Goldschmidt site for the substitution of raw materials

• Availability of certified products to start in the first half of 2024

• Latest site certification supports Evonik’s continued portfolio transformation to sustainable solutions

Evonik has attained the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS for its specialty chemicals production at the Essen Goldschmidt site. The certification is based on the mass balance approach, which ensures that sustainable feedstocks are used and that the supply chain is traceable. 

The Essen Goldschmidt site follows other Evonik sites, such as Marl and Herne (Germany), and Mobile (Alabama, USA) to gain accreditation for its sustainable and fully traceable supply chains. The increasing move away from fossil-based raw materials is part of the Evonik Next Generation Solutions sustainability strategy, which focuses on portfolio and innovation management, production and technology. 

Sustainability faces from the Specialty Additives division: (left to right) Dr. Marta Canas Ventura, Sustainability Manager at Interface & Performance, Tim-Frederic Sloot, Head of Sustainability at Coating Additives, and Dr. Gesa Behnken, Global Marketing Director Insulation at Comfort & Insulation. 

″As an innovation frontrunner in specialty markets, we strive to offer both excellent product performance and sustainability leadership. Thanks to the ISCC PLUS certification for the production of specialty chemicals such as our surfactants at the Goldschmidt site in Essen, our customers from coatings and inks to adhesives, polyurethane foams and personal care will have access to a wider range of certified additives made from a higher proportion of renewable raw materials,″ said Dr. Claudine Mollenkopf, head of the Specialty Additives division. 

With the same performance profile and characteristics as their traditional counterparts, the new certified specialty chemicals, for instance surfactants, will help Evonik’s customers to reduce the use of fossil resources and improve the sustainability of their products, without any changes to production processes. By reducing its reliance on fossil-based raw materials, Evonik is lowering the carbon footprint of its own products and also supporting customers address their own sustainability, CO₂ reduction and environmental regulation demands.

Product scope from first half of 2024

The specialty chemicals, mainly surfactants, produced in the newly certified Essen Goldschmidt site are often used for cleansing, foaming, emulsifying and solubilizing purposes. They will include TEGOSTAB^® additives for polyurethane foams for mattresses or insulation panels, TEGO^® industrial coatings and inks, TEGOMER^®, TAGAT^® and TEGO^® PE for industrial processes and further applications in agrochemistry and personal care.

Starting in the first half of this year, existing and new customers will have access to these certified surfactants containing a significant amount of mass balanced feedstock, and consequently a lower carbon footprint. 

Mass balancing

In complex manufacturing systems such as chemical production, mass balancing allows manufacturers to mix certified and non-certified materials while keeping them separated administratively. This provides the transparency to track the amount of renewable material used and how it corresponds to the amount of certified content in the resulting products.

For a detailed explanation and video about the ISCC PLUS mass balance concept visit.