Consumer Demand For Natural Products Drives Growth In Renewable Chemicals

Companies, including Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, and Procter & Gamble, are expanding their use of renewable chemicals, such as extracts of rosemary and the marigold flower, to replace petroleum-based chemicals in packaging, cleaning products, and cosmetics. Growth in the renewable chemicals market, which is expected to reach $83 billion in value in 2018, is driven by unpredictability in the petroleum market, increasing consumer demand for natural ingredients in products. Kemin Industries, which began developing commercially viable processes of extracting natural chemicals from rosemary about two decades ago, is now producing natural ingredients that some of the world’s largest companies currently use to extend the shelf life of their products, such as pet foods, cereals, and skin creams.