Evonik refocuses on sustainable specialties

The chemical group has sold its betaines business in Bekasi (Indonesia) to South Korean company Aekyung Chemical, completing the sale of its joint venture PT Evonik Sumi Asih along with its 60 employees. This transaction follows a series of similar divestments, including the sale of the US site in Hopewell in August 2022 and the UK site in Milton Keynes in August 2020, as well as the consolidation of its European activities in Essen, Germany. Evonik is pursuing its strategic shift towards sustainable specialties such as biosurfactants and cosmetic actives, while maintaining the production of betaines – amphoteric surfactants widely used in shampoos and skincare products – in Europe and Latin America.