Neste, the Finnish petrochemical company that has reinvented itself as a front runner in renewable solutions over the past decade, is now the world’s leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel, and renewable feedstock solutions for various polymers and chemicals industry uses — an achievement that has now drawn the attention of the European Patent Office (EPO).
A group of Neste’s inventors have been nominated as finalists in the European Inventor Award 2023 for their work on ‘Converting waste and residues into high-quality renewable solutions’.
Launched in 2006, this annual award honors the creativity of inventors around the world who contribute to technological progress, thereby driving economic growth and improving people's daily lives.
An independent international jury selected this year’s finalists from over 600 candidates. The winners of the European Inventor Award 2023 will be announced July 4.
The inventors selected to represent Neste’s innovators are Pia Bergström, senior specialist, feedstock; Annika Malm, senior associate; Jukka Myllyoja, R&D fellow; Jukka-Pekka Pasanen, senior associate; and Blanka Toukoniitty, technical support lead, feedstock growth.
Their efforts included the innovation work and related patents for converting low-quality waste and residues into high-quality renewable solutions - work that has enabled Neste to transform from a "regional oil refiner into a global leader in renewable and circular solutions," noted Lars Peter Lindfors, executive vice president of Innovation at Neste. “This acknowledgment stresses the importance of innovation and highlights our contribution to societies.”
Replacing fossil oil with renewable and recycled raw materials helps drive growth, reduce crude oil dependency and combat climate change.
Some 25 percent of Neste’s workforce is engaged in innovation, research, product development and engineering. The company holds over 2,000 patents. A key advancement was the development of its proprietary NEXBTL technology, which allows a wide variety of renewable fats and oils to be converted into premium-quality renewable products. This milestone generated a multitude of other patents and involved hundreds of inventors.
“Intellectual property management is strategically integrated in the R&D and business operations at Neste. This helps us secure control of our core technology assets and protect our innovations. The recognition by the European Patent Office is a result of our people’s innovativeness, their persistent work and the high quality of our patent portfolio,” said Roberto Castagno, head of IPR at Neste.