Avantium Again in the Global Cleantech 100; List Recognizes the Top Private Companies in Clean Technology Industry

    AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, October 18, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Avantium, a leading technology company, announced it has been listed for 2nd year in a row in the prestigious Global Cleantech 100, produced by Cleantech Group, a leading research firm focused on global cleantech innovation. The Global Cleantech 100 program is produced in collaboration with the UK's Guardian News and Media.

The Global Cleantech 100 list is unique in the sector because it highlights the promise of private clean technology companies from all around the world, focusing on those companies, which are most likely to make the most significant market impact over the next 5-10 years.

"Being named again in the Global Cleantech 100 list is a fantastic confirmation of our YXY technology. We made enormous progress since the 2010 Global Cleantech 100. We successfully completed a Euro 30 mio financing round. We have signed two new partnerships, with Teijin and Solvay, to develop a broad range of applications. Furthermore we are finalizing a number of exciting joint development agreements with large brand owners for PEF applications, including PEF bottles for water, soft drinks and beer, PEF fibers for apparel and carpets, and engineering plastics for automotive and electronic materials. We are on track with the construction and operation of our YXY pilot plant to prove our process on a larger scale and to do application testing in collaboration with our partners. We are getting closer to create a truly the green economy," said Tom van Aken, CEO Avantium.

"We are proud of how quickly the Global Cleantech 100 list has gained recognition as a leading resource in the cleantech sector," said Sheeraz Haji, Cleantech Group CEO. "Stakeholders including members of the corporate community, investors, and regulators now watch the Global Cleantech 100 list closely to gauge which sectors look most promising and which companies are poised for growth."

4,274 companies were nominated this year from more than 45 countries. These companies were weighted and scored to create a short list of 213 companies presented to the expert panel for final input. The end result was 100 companies from 16 countries.

The 70-strong expert panel is drawn from well-respected organisations in cleantech innovation from around the world, including leading investors in global cleantech and from a wide variety of corporations across many different industries, such as ABB, BASF, BP, Coca-Cola Company, DuPont, GE, General Motors, Procter and Gamble, and Vestas.

"The third Global Cleantech 100 exemplifies the best in cleantech innovation across the world," said Richard Youngman, Managing Director, Europe & Asia, Cleantech Group and the founder of the Global Cleantech 100. "This list is based on the collective wisdom and experience of the world's cleantech leaders and this year it truly reflects not only the most interesting companies, but also the mainstreaming of this dynamic industry."

The complete list of 100 companies is being revealed today at the Global Cleantech 100 Summit & Gala in Washington, D.C. http://events.cleantech.com/global100/. Global Cleantech 100 companies will be featured at this event as well as at the Guardian's Cleantech Summit in London on 22 November 2011 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/cleantech-summit).

A full report with commentary and insight on the 2011 Global Cleantech 100 is available via two publications: 1) A report authored by Cleantech Group and sponsored by Autodesk, Deloitte and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati available for download at http://www.cleantech.com/global-cleantech-100/ ; 2) A special online newspaper supplement written by the UK's Guardian, sponsored by Ernst & Young.

The complete list of Global Cleantech 100 firms and expert panel members is available online, on the websites of Cleantech Group (http://www.cleantech.com/global-cleantech-100/) and the Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/globalcleantech100).

About YXY
Avantium has developed YXY (pronounced icksy) - a family of green building blocks for making materials and fuels that can compete on both price and performance with oil based alternatives, but which have a superior environmental footprint. YXY is a patented technology that converts biomass into Furanic building blocks, such as FDCA (2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid).

YXY is the perfect solution for today's challenges, using carbohydrates as feedstock to enable the manufacture of products, which are both green and sustainable. This fast and cost-effective production process is based on Avantium's catalytic technology. YXY can be implemented in existing chemical production assets. Avantium is collaborating with leading companies in the industry to develop and produce green materials and fuels based on YXY building blocks. See www.yxy.com for more information.

About Avantium
Avantium is a leading technology company specialized in the area of advanced high-throughput R&D. The company develops and commercializes YXY - its brand name for chemical building blocks for making green materials and fuels that can compete on both price and performance with oil-based alternatives.

Avantium has demonstrated the value and commercial potential of its unique technology and knowledge by collaborating with leading companies in the energy and chemical industries. Avantium has a global customer base for its profitable R&D services and systems offering, including market leaders such as BP, Shell and Sasol. Avantium is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

For more information please contact: Mariette Hoogendoorn at +31-20-586 8010, or visit our website at: www.avantium.com or www.yxy.com

About Cleantech Group
Cleantech Group's research, events and advisory services accelerate market adoption, stimulate demand, and remove barriers to cleantech innovation. We help business leaders make strategic decisions involving cleantech innovation through the i3 Platform, the most comprehensive, vetted, up-to-date source for insights into companies, investors, financing and relationships across the clean technology ecosystem. Cleantech Group also produces the premier Cleantech Forum and FocusTM events worldwide. Details are available at http://www.cleantech.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Bennett Michael
Cleantech Group Tel: +1 (415) 684-1020 Email: [email protected]

About the Guardian
The Guardian is one of the UK's leading daily titles, and the Guardian.co.uk website delivers its liberal journalism to a global audience. The Guardian's vision is to be the leader on sustainability within the media industry. Through its editorial coverage and business activities, the Guardian demonstrates to its readers, staff, advertisers, suppliers and its communities that Guardian News & Media is committed to enhancing society's ability to build a sustainable future.

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