Viridis Chemical, a manufacturer of renewable, biobased, low-carbon chemicals, announced that its commercial scale biobased ethyl acetate is the winner of the Independent Commodity Intelligence Services (ICIS) 2023 Product Innovation Award in the Small to Medium Enterprise Category (SME) category. ICIS awards are open to companies in the chemical industry who have successfully launched innovative projects that provide solutions that drive progress toward sustainability for companies, their customers, and society.
This award is another validation of the technology that Viridis Chemical is bringing to the chemical industry. Its winning product, 100% biobased ethyl acetate, demonstrated environmental benefits that enhance sustainability by delivering a high-quality, high-performance commercial product with lower GHG emissions.
Rick Cochrane, Senior Vice President of Commercialization & Business Development was in London (ICIS headquarters) to accept the award. Cochrane said, “We are proud to receive this award, which is the result of the hard work and dedication of our employees and partners, especially in our early history in the business. We are proud to be part of Nebraska, it is a great state to work with and do business!”
Pictured left to right: Rick Cochrane, Senior Vice President of Commercialization & Business Development and Will Beacham, Deputy Editor, ICIS Chemical Business
Viridis Chemical makes high quality, industrial grade ethyl acetate from one raw material, 100% corn based ethanol. It is produced through their patented process that uses a metallic catalyst to convert the ethanol to ethyl acetate. Ethyl acetate is the company’s first product, which started production in March 2022. Viridis’ ethyl acetate is marketed worldwide by HELM AG, one of the world’s foremost independent chemicals marketing enterprises.
“Viridis and HELM have created their long-term partnership with the aim to offer a compelling choice towards a more sustainable business to chemical markets. We are delighted to see Viridis winning the ICIS Innovation Award as it confirms the positive feedback received from our customers ever since the production started up. The reliability of our service to markets, the quality of the product and the severely reduced carbon footprint are all helping customers to deliver a game-changing impact in their markets,” said Björn Steckel, President Chemicals Americas of HELM.
Viridis Chemical and ethyl acetate is both headquartered and produced in Columbus, Nebraska. Viridis is committed to the safe, environmentally sound, and economically viable conversion of bio-ethanol into circular, sustainable products previously derived from fossil fuel-based resources. Viridis is a member of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), holds International Sustainability & Carbon PLUS Certification (ISCC PLUS) for its manufacturing facility in Columbus, Nebraska, and has a USDA certified, biobased product meeting all requirements under the USDA BioPreferred® program. For more information, please visit www.viridischemical.com.
Viridis Chemical is served electrically by Loup Power District, a wholesale customer of NPPD.
Source: Kathleen van Gordon, Viridis Chemical
Picture provided by ICIS/Telling Photography.