Bioweg scales up bacterial cellulose production in Europe

The German biotech company is to build a bacterial cellulose plant in Elsdorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, with a production capacity of up to 10,000 tonnes a year. Construction is due to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, with initial commercial volumes expected in 2028. Bioweg is targeting these biodegradable, bio-based materials as replacements for certain fossil-based polymers and microplastics in cosmetics and personal care products.

Produced through fermentation, the bacterial cellulose is functionalised to provide formulations with texture, rheology control, suspension, film-forming and sensory properties. The future facility will be located within a sugar production complex and will use molasses and other side streams from the sugar industry as fermentation feedstocks.

The investment will support the industrial scale-up of these alternatives as the EU REACH restriction on intentionally added synthetic polymer microparticles, adopted in 2023, requires their progressive phase-out in several applications, including cosmetics. Bioweg has secured €35 m in funding, around 60% of which will be allocated to the new site.