NEWS
Brenntag opens Shanghai centre
Brenntag has announced the opening of its new Life Sciences Innovation & Application Centre in Shanghai. This, it said, offers“ advanced technical capabilities and closer access to application expertise” to customers in the personal care and food sectors in China and Hong Kong.
In the former, the centre will support the development of formulations personal care and home care products. It is equipped with formulation and testing capabilities for
emulsion structure analysis, surfactant foam performance evaluation, hair combing force testing, skin analysis and laundry performance testing. A lab-scale mixing system will support small-batch production trials and process validation for formulation optimisation.
The centre also supports application development in food and nutrition categories including ready-to-drink beverages, dairy, bakery, confectionery and savoury products.“ Through formulation development and tasting evaluations, Brenntag helps customers develop innovative product concepts that respond to changing consumer preferences and emerging health and wellness trends,” the firm said.
Biotech associations ask for more on Biotech Act II
Nearly 40 European industry organisations have joined forces to issue a joint position paper highlighting“ the need for a dedicated and globally ambitious legislation to deliver biomanufacturing scale-up and market deployment in Europe”, as part of the forthcoming EU Biotech Act II. They include EuropaBio, national associations in 12 European countries and regional association in specific fields, such as the Biobased Industries Consortia and CropLife.
“ A Biotech Act II dedicated to biomanufacturing is the missing piece of the puzzle for the EU’ s global competitiveness from this vital technology,” said Dr Claire Skentelbery, director-general of EuropaBio. " It is essential that we empower all sectors with a thriving
EU market, cutting-edge capability and ensuring that it is the logical next investment for companies in our champion sectors.”
Europe, it was noted, remains the only major global region without a dedicated biomanufacturing initiative. Meanwhile, the US, India, China and others are prioritising it at the highest strategic level. EU Biotech Act Part I, which mainly targets health, and other actions have boosted innovation,“ but a critical gap persists in translating innovation into industrial scale in all sectors”.
MAY / JUN 2026 SPECCHEMONLINE. COM
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