08.13.21
CHINA – Azelis, a leading innovative service provider in the specialty chemicals and food ingredients industry, has inked an agreement to acquire the Greater China operations of Ingredients Plus Pty. Ltd. (Ingredients Plus China) through the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Ingredients Plus Hong Kong and its fully-owned subsidiaries in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
The acquisition will close at the end of August and is purported to strengthen Azelis’ product portfolio and enhance the position of Azelis China in the personal care industry.
“Ingredients Plus China’s portfolio is highly complementary to ours and will boost the personal care range of Azelis China,” said Laurent Nataf, president and chief executive officer of Azelis Asia Pacific. “The expansion of our lateral value chain in China, the second largest global economy and one of the fastest growing, is a key strategic objective for us. That is why we have continuously invested in our growth there. The acquisition will increase our market presence and overall product offering, while also continuing our diversification to provide a more comprehensive portfolio across market segments.”
Ingredients Plus China employs more than 40 people in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, where it serves a sizable base of international, regional and indigenous local customers with an impressive portfolio of world-renowned principals. Employees will become part of Azelis and will remain in their respective positions to support the business. With ideation and application laboratories in Shanghai and Guangzhou that focus on formulations development, company officials say Ingredients Plus China and Azelis are well-positioned to provide innovative solutions to all business partners.
In 2020, Azelis China acquired Cosbond and Bronson & Jacobs, which company officials believe will be further strengthened with the new acquisition.
“We at Ingredients Plus China have over the years developed strong intimacy with our principals and customers by offering only the highest service quality,” said Graeme Love, chief executive officer of Ingredients Plus China. “Joining Azelis in China will enable the business to grow further and have more resources available to serve principals and customers.”
Azelis Awarded Platinum Rating by EcoVadis for Sustainability Commitments
Azelis recently published its second sustainability report which covers the 2020 group-wide sustainability performance. Its sustainability strategy entitled “Action 2025,” is built upon the following pillars: People, Products, Innovation, Governance and Environment. Thanks to the extensive improvement actions put in place across the entire organization following a 2018 employee satisfaction survey, Azelis succeeded in already reaching the 2025 goals for loyalty and working conditions and is inching closer to the goal for engagement.
As a result, the company has been awarded a Platinum rating by EcoVadis, the highest distinction in the supplier sustainability rating scheme, a recognition of its sustainability commitments. Its sustainability journey began in 2015 when the company defined the fundamentals of its sustainability program, following the Paris Agreement on climate change and the release of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the United Nations.
Based on the United Nations Global Compact initiative, ISO 26000 and the Global Reporting Initiative, the program consists of the aforementioned four pillars, each with goals and KPIs. Within each pillar, Azelis also contributes to a number of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For Products and Innovation, Azelis continued with the identification of sustainable products and intensified sustainable formulation work. The company focused on products that minimize or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. Progress was also made on the sustainable sourcing due diligence procedure in 2020. This was reinforced by Azelis’ membership to “Together for Sustainability,” a joint initiative and global network of 31 chemical companies, which delivers the de facto global standard for environmental, social and governance performance of chemical supply chains.
In the Governance pillar, Azelis launched its SpeakUp! Policy and SpeakUp! Line, which are available to employees and any third-party stakeholder for reporting malpractices. The initiatives ensure a culture where employees are encouraged to speak up in a safe environment and where they will not feel victimized or retaliated against.
For Environment, Azelis is committed to reducing carbon intensity by 25% in the next four years, and 50% by 2030. To achieve this, the company has set targets of using 100% of electricity in its offices and sites from renewable sources as well as decarbonization in its operations and supply chain.
“Despite the turmoil 2020 brought, it has been yet another pivotal year of progress for Azelis,” said Dr. Hans Joachim Müller, chief executive office. “More than ever, sustainability is a driver of innovation for Azelis and innovation is a driver of sustainability… Our innovations catalyze sustainability in the market segments we serve and their value chains, and will help realize concepts such as circular economy.”