InformexUSA Announces 'Profiles in Sustainability' Winners for 2011

PRINCETON, N.J., Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Informex, the leading meeting place for buyers and sellers of high-value chemistry for a broad range of applications, today announced the three winners of the second annual 'Profiles in Sustainability' awards.  

Fifteen companies submitted projects for consideration by the judging panel, which comprised representatives from the American Chemical Society's Green Chemistry Institute, SOCMA, Georgia Institute of Technology and the trade media.  Entries were judged on the 12 principles of green chemistry, the commercial scale of the product/process, the uniqueness of the technology, and the magnitude of the product/process.

The three companies honored as 'Sustainability Innovators' were Zeon Corporation, Novomer and DSM. According to the judging panel, some of the most important factors in their success was the extent of the green impact and the distinctiveness of the technology.

The winners were announced last night, Tuesday, February 8th, at a formal Gala Dinner event hosted by InformexUSA 2011. Each company then presented its winning submissions in dedicated conference sessions, to be held today, Wednesday, February 9th.

"The Profiles in Sustainability awards go further than just acknowledging that an organization is innovative. When evaluating the entries, the judges are looking at a deeper level," noted Informex Global Brand Director, Jennifer Jessup.  "The awards exist to highlight companies that are pursuing green chemistry as a new industry standard. In essence, we feel that these companies are helping to set an example for the industry as we move toward a more sustainable future. The judges chose the winning submissions by determining which organizations had best embraced the intention of the awards through thinking outside of the box to produce innovative solutions with a high impact on the industry and a low carbon footprint on society."

Designed to encourage wide ranging submissions from companies participating at InformexUSA 2011, entry guidelines allow for a great deal of flexibility in terms of subject matter.  The only true requirements are that the submission must be either a 'product innovation,' 'process innovation,' or 'other green innovation', must adhere to one or more of the twelve principles of green chemistry and be viable on a commercial scale.

Zeon Corporation won the 'product' category for their submission 'A High Performance Ether Solvent, Cyclopentyl Methyl Ether (CPME)'. Zeon manufactures CPME by the catalytic addition of MeOH to Cyclopentene, which is an atom economical reaction. The solvent, in use since 2005, offers extensive cost savings and waste reduction over classic Tetrahydrofuran (THF), most notably, 78% cost reduction and 80% waste reduction.

In the 'process' category, Novomer won with their entry 'Catalyst Technology Enables Usually Inert CO2 to React with Commodity Petrochemical Epoxides to Create a Family of Polymers that are up to 50% CO2 by Weight, with the CO2 Directly Incorporated into the Polymer Chain.' This technology is 25 times more active and productive than other catalyst technologies of its kind and Novomer was able to advance the technology from lab scale to pilot scale. A $20.6M grant from the Department of Energy is allowing Novomer to move forward with plans to scale up their technology to manufacturing scale in 2011.  

DSM's submission, 'Corporate Commitment to Sustainability as a Business Driver and Response to Pharmaceutical R&D and Manufacturing', won the 'other' category. The submission covered route scouting services that lead to cost savings through identifying ways to streamline processes for clients. These route scouting services provide the following to customers:

• Cost advantage by finding 'The Most Sustainable Synthesis Route'
• Robustness in 'A Proven Scalable Tech Package'
• Secured competitive advantage by offering 'IP Protection Of Your Innovative Syntheses'
• Flexibility in 'Implementation At The Most Appropriate Manufacturing Partner'

For more information on the winning submissions to the 'Profiles in Sustainability', please visit: http://www.informex.com/profiles

For more information about Informex, please visit: http://www.informex.com/

UBM Live (UBM Live) is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Business Media plc (LSE: UBM) a leading provider of business information services to the maritime, travel, fashion, technology, healthcare, media, and property industries. UBM offers services in trade shows, online, news distribution, and publishing to customers across the globe. Its brands are represented in more than 30 countries and are organized into specialist teams that serve their business communities helping them excel in their market by working effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to www.ubmlive.com.

About Informex: Organized by UBM Live, Informex is the leading meeting place for buyers and sellers of high-value chemistry for a broad range of applications. As the premier, must-attend event in the chemical industry for the past 27 years, Informex is a marketplace for networking and doing business in the fine, custom and specialty chemical manufacturing industry. The show traces its origins to a group of members from the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Associates (SOCMA) who were looking for an annual place to meet and do business. Each year the event brings together an international mix of more than 4,000 fine and specialty chemicals professionals and 500 exhibitors for the all-encompassing 4 day event.

SOURCE Informex