Page 164 - CW E-Magazine (5-12-2023)

News from Abroad

ORGANISATIONAL REVAMP

Origin Materials announces job cuts in push to profitability

Origin Materials, the US-based Origin is now designing the deve-
‘carbon negative materials’ company, lopment of a new $1.6-bn factory in
will cut its workforce by 30%, or 60 Louisiana (US). Its Sarnia plant cost
positions, as part of an organisational $130-mn to develop.
realignment that defers research pro-
grammes to get to operating profitabi- Origin Materials makes zero-carbon
lity faster. plastic out of renewable plant materi-
als, rather than petroleum. Its patented
A 2008 start-up, Origin in October believe these actions will substantially process is used to make a drop-in
opened its first production-scale factory extend our cash resources.” replacement for several kinds of plastic
of zero-carbon plastic precursor chemi- precursors, including for PET.
cals in Sarnia, Ontario (Canada). Origin’s losses from operations
totalled $38.7-mn through the first three “The fundamentals of our business
Mr. John Bissell, Co-Founder and quarters of this year. As of Sept. 30, and the global macro drivers of our car-
Co-CEO of Origin Materials, said, the company had $66.1-mn in cash and bon-negative materials platform remain
“The changes we are implementing cash equivalents on its books, down strong. We are confident in the health
support our plan to execute priority from $107.9-mn at the end of 2022. and long-term success of the business
initiatives representing high-margin, as we approach the $1 trillion address-
near-term opportunities, while deferring The cuts were driven by higher able market for our sustainable alter-
some research programmes with strong, costs of capital in the current market natives to petroleum-based materials,”
but longer-term economic impacts. We and in higher costs for equipment. said Mr. Bissell.

TESTING TIMES
PETA says EU court decision destroys animal

testing ban for cosmetics
Animal rights body, People for the Agency (ECHA). Symrise challenged
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), ECHA’s position before the ECHA
has described as “damning” the Court Board of Appeal, and PETA Inter-
of Justice of the European Union’s ver- national Science Consortium Ltd.
dict against German cosmetics ingre- intervened in support of Symrise in the
dients manufacturer Symrise, which had hearing. The board upheld the initial
sought to overturn a decision mandat- decision stating REACH may require
ing that it test cosmetics ingredients registrants to perform studies on verte-
(homosalate and 2-ethylhexyl salicy- brate animals even if the substance
late) on thousands of animals. is used exclusively in cosmetics. The
marketing ban on animal-tested pro-
“This verdict has made a mockery animal testing ban, which was to ensure ducts under the cosmetics regulation,
of the judicial system by effectively that only superior, non-animal methods they said, will not be triggered by
destroying the once groundbreaking EU are used to assess the safety of cosme- animal testing to fulfil REACH require-
ban on animal testing for cosmetics,” tics,” it said. ments, as the data “will not need to be
it said. A sales ban on animal-tested relied on” to demonstrate the safety
cosmetic products has existed in the EU In a long running case, Symrise of a cosmetic product. However, with
since 2013. “We condemn the Court was being mandated to test two of its the support of the Science Consortium,
of Justice of the European Union for sunscreen ingredients on thousands of Symrise appealed the decision to the
ignoring the purpose of the cosmetics animals by the European Chemicals Court of Justice of the European Union.

164 Chemical Weekly December 5, 2023

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