AFYREN and Südzucker celebrate 5 years of strategic bioeconomy partnership

The partnership, central to the EU’s AFTER-BIOCHEM initiative led by Afyren, was solidified in a 2021 multi-year contract. As part of the agreement, Südzucker supplies non-food agricultural by-products from sugar production as feedstock for AFYREN NEOXY, Afyren’s first industrial plant producing a family of seven 100 % biobased carboxylic acids, ensuring procurement safety on a local level. Over the past years, the two partners have established a unique long-term feedstock partnership and created a new value chain in Europe.

Biomass availability is a key challenge for the bioeconomy, which the EU recognizes as a strategic value chain for green growth, industrial resilience, and reduced fossil resources dependence. As demand rises, securing sustainable and responsibly sourced feedstock is essential to avoid competition with food and ensure long-term resource availability within planetary boundaries. By extending their collaboration beyond After-Biochem, Afyren and Südzucker AG contribute to the development of a strong bioeconomy sector throughout Europe, converting sustainably sourced non-food biomass into multiple high added-value products for diversified markets.

“Our ongoing partnership with Südzucker, Europe’s leading sugar producer, has been instrumental in securing long-term, competitive access to key raw materials and ensuring supply safety”, said Nicolas Sordet, Chief Executive Officer of Afyren. “Together, we have built a circular economy model through the AFTER-BIOCHEM project, creating new biobased value chains and exploring additional business opportunities to mitigate environmental damage, optimize carbon footprint and drive sustainable agricultural practices.”

An important factor to this partnership is the locality of AFYREN NEOXY and Südzucker AG, which has thousands of hectares neighbouring the flagship biorefinery in Carling-Saint-Avold, near the French-German border, thus ensuring a guaranteed supply of local biobased feedstock.

“Our collaboration with AFYREN enables us to contribute to upcycle sugar beet co-products into high-value chemicals, reducing reliance on petroleum derivatives”, noted Marcus Reuter, Head of Co products of Südzucker. “This partnership underscores our commitment to work with local innovative partners to build a strong bioeconomy sector throughout Europe, turning sustainably sourced non-food biomass into valuable products. By aligning sustainability across our entire value chain, we are meeting evolving customer demands while diversifying the valorisation of our product portfolio and contributing to the circular economy our product portfolio and contribute to a circular bioeconomy that aligns with evolving market demands.”

The partnership enables Afyren and Südzucker to explore new opportunities for strategic collaborations, ensuring sustainable agricultural practices to help build the new bioeconomy beyond borders.

The After-Biochem project, launched in May 2020, supported the creation of the first flagship biorefinery of its kind – Afyren Neoxy – to convert agricultural co-products into natural, high-value molecules for use in a wide range of industries: fragrances & flavourings, personal care, food & feed, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals. Funded with EUR 33 million from the EU’s Horizon 2020 Program and the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI-JU), now Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE-JU), the consortium includes partners from France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands – among them AFYREN and Südzucker. AT

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