Key takeaways on partnership for new CO₂ surfactants
- Zschimmer & Schwarz has signed a Joint Development Agreement with CO₂‑utilisation specialist Viridi.
- The partnership aims to scale and commercialise CO₂‑based surfactant technology.
- Successful trials identified multiple applications for sustainable, biodegradable surfactants.
- CO₂ is used as a renewable carbon source to support defossilisation in chemical manufacturing.
- Both companies aim to accelerate innovation in low‑impact surfactant production for personal care and cleaning formulations.
Personal care ingredients company Zschimmer & Schwarz has entered into a Joint Development Agreement with Viridi, a UK-based deep‑tech company that specialises in carbon dioxide utilisation, to accelerate the scale-up and commercial adoption of CO₂‑based surfactants.
Industry collaboration aims to “drive defossilisation in chemicals”
Viridi’s technology enables the use of captured carbon dioxide as a renewable carbon source in chemical manufacturing. Following extensive trials conducted by Zschimmer & Schwarz, multiple potential applications and use cases were identified.
The partnership aims to “support the defossilisation of the sector” and plans to accelerate the scale-up and market adoption of Viridi’s proprietary technology for the production of sustainable surfactants.
Dr Matthias Hofmann, Director of Global R&D at Zschimmer & Schwarz, said the partnership with Viridi strengthens the business’s commitment to provide sustainable and biodegradable solutions for the future. “We are excited to jointly explore opportunities for the next generation of surfactants,” he said.
Meanwhile, CEO of Viridi Dr Daniel Stewart commended Zschimmer & Schwarz’s “pioneering mindset” and said that the agreement “represents a big milestone in the company’s mission to help the chemical manufacturing industry, and ultimately, society to recycle CO₂ and eventually defossilise.”
