Evonik aims to generate €1.5 billion additional sales with new innovation strategy

Essen, Germany. Specialty chemicals company Evonik is driving forward the green
transformation of industry. With its new innovation strategy, it is stepping up its focus
on sustainability. To this end, it is bundling a large proportion of its R&D activities in
three new innovation growth areas. These should generate additional sales of €1.5
billion by 2032, compared with 2023.
“Our new innovation strategy shows how sustainable products and solutions will be
supporting Evonik’s future growth even more strongly, and, at the same time, reducing
our customers’ ecological footprint,” says Harald Schwager, deputy chairman of
Evonik’s executive board.
The new innovation growth areas focus on bio-based solutions, the energy transition,
and the circular economy. “With our technologies, we are shaping a future worth
living. The three new innovation growth areas address the most relevant sustainability
trends for our businesses,” says Evonik’s chief innovation officer, Ralph Marquardt.
In the Advance Precision Biosolutions innovation growth area, Evonik scientists are using biotechnology to develop solutions that improve people’s health and quality of
life, save energy and resources, or protect ecosystems. They include modern
biosurfactants such as rhamnolipids. Evonik inaugurated the world’s first industrialscale
plant for the production of this new class of biosurfactants in Slovakia in May. At
the same time, the company is driving forward the development of rhamnolipids for
other areas of application.
The Accelerate Energy Transition innovation growth area brings together
contributions to the energy transition. These include, for instance, solutions to capture
carbon dioxide from the exhaust gases from processes or directly from the air.
Moreover, in Schörfling (Austria), Evonik produces membranes that can be used to
purify biomethane and other gases. This facility was initially extended in 2023 and a
further extension is already under construction. The company is also researching other
membrane solutions, for example, for the production of hydrogen.
The Enable Circular Economy Innovation Growth Area combines all Evonik research
projects for a modern circular economy. The aim is to help close material cycles. In this
way, the company is paving the way for its customers to move towards circularity. That
can be achieved, for example, through advanced catalyst recycling and solutions to
improve the recycling of polyurethane or rubber.
“Research and development already make an overriding contribution to our growth,”
says Marquardt. “This trend will continue with these new growth areas.” The new
innovation growth areas are therefore building on the success of Evonik’s previous
innovation growth fields, which were selected in 2015.
The aim was to achieve additional sales of €1 billion within ten years with, for
example, sustainable solutions for health, cosmetics, and additive manufacturing. In
2023, that figure was already above €650 million. “Given the turbulence of recent
years, that is a good performance, which we can build on in the future,” says
Schwager. “A global pandemic, an invasion within Europe—those were events no-one
foresaw nine years ago. That we came so close to our goal despite such unprecedented
challenges shows that we focused on the right topics.” 

In 2023, Evonik held research and development expenses at the previous year’s level
of €443 million, despite the challenging economic situation. The majority was spent
on research for the chemical production divisions, while a smaller proportion was
channeled to Creavis, Evonik’s strategic research unit and business incubator. Relative
to sales, the R&D ratio was 2.9 percent in 2023.
For Evonik, innovation and sustainability are fundamental elements of a futureoriented
business model. Therefore, the company is continuing to focus on strong
research and development so it can make a wide range of contributions to driving
forward the green transformation—both within its own sphere of activity and at its
customers.