Solugen

Solugen blends the best of biology and chemistry to create chemicals that replace petroleum-based alternatives. 

Using its bioforge platform, it transforms renewable feedstocks into sustainable solutions for industries like agriculture, water treatment, and personal care. Its process cuts emissions, reduces waste and scales efficiently – proving that green chemistry can be both clean and cost-effective. 

Key facts

Operational

• Solugen has been expanding its partnerships to increase its reach and impact, including Kurita America, Archer-Daniels-Midland and Sasol Chemicals. 
• Solugen’s main business today is creating organic acids for customers in water treatment (e.g., municipalities, and industrial water treatment) and construction. It focuses on areas where the location of production can have a material impact. 
• Localised production enables direct delivery to nearby customers (its biggest Houston customer is just 1.5 miles away). This model eliminates approximately 50 per cent of chemical pricing tied to logistics, handling and transportation costs. 
• Solugen continues to work on expanding into new starting materials beyond dextrose, including recycled ones, and launching new chemicals. This will help it expand into increasingly larger segments of the $6tn chemicals sector. 

Financial

• Solugen secured a conditional commitment for a $213.6m loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO). This contingent loan is helping finance its second facility. The DOE loan came after 18 months of intensive due diligence, validating their technology. 
• Solugen has been awarded $2m under the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP). Solugen’s selection aligns with the DoD’s vision of scaling biomanufacturing to secure domestic production of critical materials.  

Important information

The investment trusts managed by Baillie Gifford & Co Limited are listed UK companies and are not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The value of their shares, and any income from them, can fall as well as rise and investors may not get back the amount invested. 

Unlisted investments such as private companies, in which the Trust has a significant investment, can increase risk. These assets may be more difficult to sell, so changes in their prices may be greater. 

Further details of the risks associated with investing in the Trust, including a Key Information Document and how charges are applied, can be found in the Trust specific pages at www.bailliegifford.com, or by calling Baillie Gifford on 0800 917 2112.