Circular and renewable raw materials
One ongoing challenge is the limited availability of circular raw materials. These include renewable or bio-based, recycled, and CO2-based raw materials. Of these, Evonik almost exclusively uses renewable raw materials. We are endeavoring to increase the proportion of circular raw materials. For example, we use bio-based raw materials in our fermentative production processes, with sugars such as dextrose and saccharose used as substrates for the production of amino acids, rhamnolipids, and sophorolipids. Natural fats and oils and their derivatives are used to produce precursors for the cosmetics, detergents, and cleaning agents industries and in technical processing aids. Renewable raw materials are among the goods that are to be given particularly careful consideration in the procurement process, especially with a view to ecology and the reliability of supply. Consequently, they are subject to special examination. At the same time, Evonik views the circular economy as an opportunity to switch its procurement of critical raw materials, as defined in the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, to circular sources.
Evonik mainly uses the renewable raw materials palm oil, palm kernel oil, and their derivatives in ingredients for the cosmetics, detergents, and cleaning agents industry (Care Solutions business line) and to produce polymers for use in lubricants (Oil Additives business line). Strategies and actions with regard to palm oil are defined by the management teams in the business lines. Our annual requirements are around 95,000 metric tons. We are critical of the establishment of new palm oil plantations and the associated land use change, and closely track environmental and sociopolitical developments. In keeping with our commitment to ensuring the responsible use of palm oil, we network with NGOs, customers, and other stakeholders in the value chain. Evonik has been championing sustainable palm oil for many years, applies international certification standards, and has been a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) since 2010. Recommendations for sustainable procurement are published on our website. In addition, the business lines are founding members of Action for Sustainable Derivatives (ASD), which promotes traceability and transparency in the supply chain. In the event of potential human rights violations in the supply chain, Evonik requires suppliers to provide clarification and remediation. Evonik is also working on creating more transparency in our deeper supply chains. This is also addressed in the biodiversity policy.
Evonik is in the process of extending RSPO certification to all available palm-based raw materials. The strategic priorities of the Care Solutions business line are certifying its sites and extending its portfolio of certified products. The business line’s sites that use palm oil have been certified since 2018 as conforming to the RSPO’s mass balance (MB) and segregated (SG) standards. This means that our organizational structure at these sites meets the RSPO requirements, which is a basic prerequisite for the ongoing transition to certified raw materials. Care Solutions continuously screens market supply and uses its influence on direct pre-suppliers so that it can switch products globally to the MB standard. Most of the palm-based products offered by this business line already conform to the RSPO MB or SG standard. This is indicated in the tradename and accompanying documentation of all RSPO-certified products marketed by Care Solutions. The strategic priority of the Oil Additives business line is extending its portfolio of certified products. At present, all production sites that use palm oil derivatives in the Care Solutions and Oil Additives business lines have been certified as conforming to the RSPO’s MB or SG standard.
In the reporting period, Evonik further expanded its range of mass-balanced products. These products are certified under the ISCC PLUS and/or REDcert standards.Evonik has 14 ISCC PLUS and two REDcert certificates covering a wide range of products and business lines. Ten business lines already offer mass-balanced products in accordance with ISCC PLUS and/or REDcert In 2025, the site in Charleston (South Carolina, USA; Smart Effects business line) was certified successfully in accordance with ISCC PLUS.
Sustainable palm oil production: Collaboration with WWF and Beiersdorf
Evonik is working with WWF Germany and Beiersdorf to promote sustainable palm oil cultivation in Malaysia and Indonesia. In the Tabin region (Borneo), some 15,000 hectares are to be RSPO-certified by 2026, with ecological corridors created to protect endangered species such as orangutans and Borneo elephants. In parallel with this, Evonik supported a further project in West Kalimantan (Indonesia) in the reporting period, which aims for 200 smallholders farming 300 hectares to be certified and included in the supply chain. Plans are to give these smallholders direct market access to a palm oil mill.
Raw materials procurement
The procurement of circular raw materials covers bio-based, recycled (bio-based and non-bio-based), and CO2-based materials. Evonik’s aim is to increase the use of circular raw materials to reduce the consumption of finite resources, shrink its own carbon footprint, and notably reduce Scope 3 emissions along the value chain. To this end, we are examining technical, economic, ecological, and social aspects as well as developing new business models. Since 2024, Evonik has been operating a new plant for the production of rhamnolipids in Slovakia. These sustainable biosurfactants, which are made from corn using a biotechnological process, are used in personal care, cleaning, animal feed, and agriculture applications. Additionally, Evonik produces, for instance, ingredients for skincare products from plant-based residues—thereby playing a part in the conservation of primary plant-based resources. In order to build up a circular system for sustainable recycling of polyurethane, we cooperate with one of the world’s leading recycling companies, which provides us with end-of-life mattress foam as a circular raw material.
Waste and resource management
Our approach to waste management follows a clear principle: The first priority is to avoid waste; otherwise, waste should be recycled or used to generate energy. If this is not possible, and then only as a third option, it should be disposed of safely. Optimization of production processes contributes to avoiding and minimizing waste. That includes in-plant reprocessing of substance streams and the use of highly specialized catalysts to minimize side reactions. Where waste is unavoidable, material or energy recovery takes precedence.
Continuous process optimization and the efficient use of resources play a major role in our production activities. We use a wide variety of actions to drive our activities toward circularity. These include:
- Increasing resource efficiency by continuously optimizing production processes
- Measuring and reporting on waste from our production plants in keeping with our goal of reducing production waste
- Leveraging the benefits of integrated production sites and systemsfor systematic waste management in alignment with the waste hierarchy
- Reducing, reusing, and recycling the packaging used for our products