COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

ROYAL DSM

The castor plant - or miracle tree - is the main ingredient for a bio-based engineering plastic.

ROYAL DSM

Royal DSM is a Dutch speciality chemicals group specialising in biological and material sciences. Its activities are grouped into three clusters: Nutrition, Materials, and the Innovation Center. The Nutrition cluster provides solutions for food and beverages, animal feed, dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, and personal care. Materials comprises specialty materials for the automotive, electronics, and apparel industries, as well as for food packaging and medical applications. As suggested by the name, the Innovation Center stands for purpose-led innovation at DSM and future growth. The company has operations in more than 40 countries, with more than 23,000 employees. The company is based in Heerlen, the Netherlands.

BRIGHTER LIVING SOLUTIONS

Brighter Living Solutions (BLS) is DSM’s programme for developing sustainable, innovative solutions with environmental and/or social benefits, which create shared value for its stakeholders. These solutions include products, services, and technologies that have a smaller environmental impact and/or superior social impact compared to the mainstream alternative for the same application. These

COMPANY SUSTAINABILITY SPO TLIGHT

effects can be realised at any stage of the product life cycle, from raw materials through the manufacturing process to potential re-use and end-of-life disposal. Within this programme, DSM conducts an annual review for all product categories, which uses comparative life cycle assessments and expert opinions to determine whether a product has a superior performance and can be identified as a Brighter Living Solution.

BIODIVERSITY

One example of a Brighter Living Solution is Veramaris® algal oil, developed by a joint venture of DSM and Evonik Industries AG, a company also active in the field of speciality chemicals. Veramaris® was brought to market in 2018, offering a sustainable alternative to fish oil as a source of omega-3 fatty acids. Fish is crucial for our society, but at the same time global fish stocks are declining due to overfishing. However, many people are unaware that large amounts of wild-caught fish are used as feed for farmed fish, such as salmon. According to DSM, 75% of global fish oil is used for this purpose. DSM and Evonik want to counter this with their algal oil product. One tonne of Veramaris® natural algal oil saves 60 metric tons of wild fish from being used as salmon feed. The oil thus reduces dependence on marine fish, helping to protect marine biodiversity.

Another notable example for a sustainable, alternative solution in nutrition is CanolaPRO® plant-based protein. The increase in health- and environment-conscious food consumers represents a significant challenge for the food industry. Consumers want alternative protein products that offer good nutritional value with a minimal environmental footprint, but are also appealing in terms of texture and taste. CanolaPRO® provides this kind of alternative. It is a source of protein obtained from canola meal, a by-product of canola oil production. This protein is rich in nutrients and easily digestible. CanolaPRO® is non-GMO, gluten-free and is produced using a solvent-free extraction process, which preserves all of the valuable components and functional advantages of the protein. This makes it a healthy, sustainable plant-based protein, in terms of both production and consumption. Thanks to its properties, the protein is ideal for use in meatless food products, promoting a reduction in the excessive consumption of meat products and thus helping to mitigate the related devastating impacts on our environment.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

According to DSM, the circular economy starts with procurement and development. Specifically, this involves the use of renewable input materials and the development of products which are both longer lasting and easier to repair and reuse. This approach is reflected in DSM’s products, such as special plastics for the automotive industry, which stand out for their durability, low weight and reduced environmental impact. One example of this is EcoPaXX® , a bio-based technical plastic, which is 70% made from castor bean plants. However, DSM also believes that the recycling of materials and the recovery of energy offers outstanding opportunities to reduce waste and retard climate change. The company recycles around 85% of its waste and is trying to reduce the total volume of process-generated waste every year. In 2020, it achieved a reduction of 6.3%. With its products, the company helps boost efficiency along the entire value chain, thus also making a contribution to reducing waste volumes outside of the scope of its own production.