As one of the world’s leading specialty chemical companies, Clariant contributes to value creation with innovative and sustainable solutions for customers from many industries. Clariant’s portfolio is designed to meet very specific needs with as much precision as possible. At the same time, Clariant’s R&D is focused on addressing the key trends of our time. These include energy efficiency, renewable raw materials, emission-free mobility, and conserving finite resources. Clariant’s business units are organized into four Business Areas: Care Chemicals, Natural Resources, Catalysis and Plastics & Coatings. 

Clariant’s Biotech & Renewables Center’s (BRC) main interest is in industrial biotechnology. The BRC develops sustainable biotech processes for the manufacture of bio-based chemicals and fuels. Based on Clariant’s extensive technology portfolio, the company offers its customers one-stop system solutions for sustainable products reaching from renewable feedstocks, biocatalytic, catalytic and chemical conversion to downstream processing. 

For example, Clariant has developed the sunliquid process which uses enzymatic hydrolysis followed by fermentation to efficiently and sustainably produce cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues such as wheat straw, corn stover or sugarcane bagasse. In July 2012 Clariant has inaugurated Germany’s largest plant for cellulosic ethanol production in Straubing. This is an important milestone for the commercialization of the sunliquid® technology. 

Clariant has more than 17.000 employees in 53 countries.