Background

We are seeking to develop a greener product portfolio across our existing product lines including herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and more. Our products are aqueous dispersions that often use multiple active ingredients formulated with solvents, surfactants, dispersants, and other co-formulants. Traditionally, small-molecule chemicals, ingredients, and co-formulants are synthesized from building blocks derived from fossil fuels. We are looking to replace the use of fossil fuel derived chemical building blocks with more sustainable building blocks derived from biomass waste streams.

“Syngenta is seeking chemical building blocks derived from biomass waste which could be used to formulate new active ingredients and co-formulants for more sustainable crop protection products. New pathways to existing ingredients and entirely new chemicals are of particular interest. Additionally new sustainable routes to bio-derived solvents are of interest too.”

The solutions we are seeking should be based on chemistries with a low carbon footprint based on both the sustainable biorenewable content and the processes by which they are manufactured. The biorenewable sources should not compete with the food chain or lead to environmental depletion (e.g. deforestation). Preferably, the sources will be biowaste but other waste sources will be considered if they can potentially lead to sustainable and diverse sourcing.