The transition to a sustainable bioeconomy is a cornerstone of Clariant’s sustainability strategy. Today, the vast majority of industrial products still depend on fossil-based carbon. At the same time, climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource scarcity demand a fundamental shift in how materials are sourced, produced, and used.
At Clariant, we actively support the vision of a net-zero, circular, and bio-based economy. We believe that renewable carbon – derived from sustainably sourced biomass, waste and residues, recycled materials, and captured CO₂ – is essential to replace fossil carbon while maintaining the performance society expects from modern products.
Our commitment to the bioeconomy is firmly embedded in our Sustainability Policy and our climate targets. Transitioning to sustainable bio-based raw materials is a key lever to achieve these goals while protecting ecosystems and human rights.
Building a sustainable bioeconomy means more than switching raw materials. It requires responsible sourcing, transparent value chains, strong social and environmental safeguards, and close collaboration across industries and with policymakers. Clariant is committed to advancing the bioeconomy in a way that respects planetary boundaries, supports communities, and creates long-term value for customers and society.
Bioeconomy in our supply chain and our own operations
Within our operations, we continuously work to increase the use of sustainable, renewable, and lower-carbon raw materials. We prioritize:
- Sustainably sourced biomass, with strong safeguards on land use, biodiversity protection, and human rights
- Waste and residue streams that do not compete with food or feed uses
- Certified supply chains that provide transparency and credibility
We recognize that carbon will remain a fundamental building block of chemistry. The key challenge is therefore to eliminate carbon, but to defossilize it by shifting away from virgin fossil resources towards renewable alternatives and by reducing emissions through the use of bio-based raw materials, therefore benefiting from biogenic carbon uptake. Achieving this transition at industrial scale requires solutions that can be implemented within existing production systems and complex value chains.
Transparency, certification, and mass balance approaches
To translate our sourcing priorities into measurable and credible outcomes, Clariant applies mass balance chain-of-custody approaches in line with recognized certification schemes. This enables the introduction of renewable or recycled feedstocks into existing production assets while maintaining full traceability and independent verification.
Mass balance allows sustainable feedstocks to be allocated to specific product outputs without the need for dedicated production lines. This approach:
Accelerates the market
uptake of renewable raw materials
Enables measurable greenhouse gas emission reductions, particularly when waste or residue-based biomass is used
Improves cost competitiveness in complex value chains
Clariant applies mass balance under the internationally recognized standard, ISCC PLUS. This creates transparency and trust by independently verifying sustainability criteria, traceability, and allocation rules.
Transparent carbon accounting is essential to build confidence in bio-based solutions. Clariant therefore advocates for consistent methodologies that recognize biogenic carbon uptake and credible mass balance approaches, enabling informed purchasing decisions and fair comparisons across materials.
Innovation for our customers
For our customers, the bioeconomy offers a powerful pathway to reduce product carbon footprints, increase circularity, and meet growing market and regulatory expectations for sustainable solutions. Clariant develops bio-based and bio-derived products that combine high performance with improved environmental profiles across a wide range of applications, including detergents, personal and home care, plastics, textiles and coatings. Flagship examples include:
- Surfactant VITA range — 100% bio-based polyglycols and surfactants that help customers significantly reduce the carbon footprint in consumer care (detergents and cleaning products) and industrial applications (e.g. coatings, adhesives, industrial lubricants).
- Licocare RBW waxes — Bio-based additives derived from second-generation rice bran wax residues, offering a renewable alternative to fossil-based waxes in plastics, coatings, industrial and consumer applications.
- Biologically active natural extracts and cosmetic ingredients — Plant-based solutions that enable sustainable innovation in personal care with strong performance and low life‑cycle emissions.
Collaboration to scale a sustainable bioeconomy
Scaling a sustainable economy requires collaboration across value chains and sectors. At Clariant, we actively engage with partners and initiatives to accelerate the transition to renewable and circular raw materials.
Clariant participates in a range of industry initiatives and public-private partnerships, including the Renewable Carbon Initiative, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Together for Sustainability (TfS) and the Biobased Industries Consortium / Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking. Through these platforms, we contribute to shaping consistent policy frameworks, transparent carbon accounting methods, and sustainability standards for the bioeconomy.
In addition, we work closely with partners across our supply chains to increase transparency, manage environmental and social risks, and support on-the-ground improvements. This includes engagement in initiatives such as:
- Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
- Action for Sustainable Derivatives (ASD)
- Together for Sustainability (TfS)
- Earthworm
Earthworm, where we collaborate to regenerate nature and improve people’s lives, creating replicable cases of holistic change. Click here for more information on our project work.
Palm oil and palm-based raw materials
Palm oil and palm kernel oil are important renewable raw materials for many chemical applications, offering high yields per hectare and broad functionality. At the same time, palm cultivation can pose significant environmental and social risks if not managed responsibly.
At Clariant, we are committed to the responsible sourcing of palm oil, palm kernel oil, and their derivatives, in line with our Palm Oil Policy and the principles of No Peat and No Exploitation (NDPE).
Use of biotechnology and GMOs
Biotechnology plays a key role in enabling a sustainable bioeconomy. At Clariant, genetically modified microorganisms are used responsibly and exclusively in contained systems to support efficient, resource-saving production processes. Our final products do not contain living GMOs and fully comply with all applicable regulations.
