46_Changchun Dacheng Industrial Group

Tons of agro-waste go up in flames after each corn harvest; China’s Changchun Dacheng Industrial Group is working to turn it into lip gloss and liquid detergent. The chemical giant already makes a range of products from cornstarch, including glycols, key ingredients in cosmetics and cleansers that are usually made with petroleum. It has now pioneered a method to turn cornfield debris into glycols. The next challenge: to make the process cost-competitive with the oil-based originals’.