Protex International will celebrate its 90th anniversary next year. Specialising in the field of speciality chemical additives, the company is moving towards an increasingly green chemistry and is putting its experience and expertise at the service of innovation.

“We manufacture additives used in many industrial fields,” explains Simon Malandain, the Group’s Technology Partnerships Director. “The company, founded in 1932, was initially specialised in auxiliary products for textiles. Since then, our activity has diversified and evolved, as we now offer products used in paints, adhesives, paper… ”

Although the company already offers a few biobased products such as anti-foam additives (from vegetable oils) or sequestrants (from glucose), it wishes to continue its development in this direction: “Our customers are asking us more and more for products from renewable resources, but the question of price is still a determining factor. We have developed biobased products that our customers have finally rejected. Our additives represent a small part of the finished product, between 1 and 3%. We would like to push certain breakthrough innovations, but our position in the value chain does not allow us to do so… Only transformations of the regulatory framework would allow fundamental changes. ”

An anticipated adaptation

Protex International is therefore anticipating these future regulatory transformations: “We must adapt, anticipate, to be ready at the right time. ”

Protex International offers to put its experience and expertise at the service of innovative projects. “We want to identify start-ups that are interesting for our activities and support them in a partnership approach. Our company can contribute its 90 years of experience. We are able to help a start-up assess whether its technology is relevant. We know the markets well enough to know quickly whether or not there are industrial opportunities. We also have the infrastructure and expertise to test active ingredients from renewable resources. Finally, our industrial facilities can support the upscaling of these processes. ”

Simon Malandain concludes: “There is still a long way to go for chemistry to become greener and more biocompatible. We are ready for this necessary adaptation and open to innovative partnerships. “