For the Chemport Europe website and newsletter, I have written two short articles on companies active in Green Chemistry in the Northern Netherlands. The first is on the Airo Group in Stadskanaal, which produces a range of product groups, based on vegetable oil, for lubrication, greasing and cleaning. Their biodegradable products should be free of hazard labels and have at least the same quality as fossil oil-based products, at a competitive price. This journey started when one of the companies founders, John Borgesius, came back from a bike ride with a chain blackened by dirt sticking to the chain oil.
The second article is on the Sustainable Polymer Innovation Cluster in Emmen (SPIC). The cluster offers technology, expertise and products to companies that aim to make plastic products more sustainable. SPIC recently received in big investment boost of €5.5 million for new equipment required for upscaling from lab bench to more large scale production. These pilot facilities in combination with industrial knowledge are unique in Europe and a great billboard for the Emmen polymer cluster.
