Solvay and Syensqo revealed as new company names

Solvay (Brussels, Belgium) has announced the new names of the future independent publicly trade companies that will result from its planned separation, which the company reported in March 2022. The new names — Solvay and Syensqo — will be effective upon completion of the planned separation of Solvay, which is on track to be completed in December 2023, following the satisfaction of customary conditions. Syensqo will be where the company’s composites business resides. 

“Solvay has a 160-year legacy that will be passed on for generations to come and the names of our new companies reflect this perfectly,” Dr. Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay, says. “Solvay will create and deliver essential solutions in housing, health, nutrition and mobility, which fulfill the basic needs of humanity. It will enable vital solutions that are at the heart of people’s everyday lives. Syensqo will be a company of explorers who will usher in breakthroughs that will advance humanity. I am proud of our teams who have made this possible and excited about the bright future of both Solvay and Syensqo.”

Solvay, the new name for EssentialCo, will focus on providing society and generations to come with sustainable solutions, meeting their most essential needs such as purifying the air we breathe and the water we drink, preserving our food supplies, protecting our health and well-being, creating eco-friendly clothing, making the tires of our cars more sustainable, and cleaning and protecting our homes.

It will comprise leading mono-technology businesses including Soda Ash, Peroxides, Silica, Coatis and Special Chem, which generated approximately €5.6 billion in net sales in 2022. The company will provide technologies that are proven to be essential across a number of attractive and resilient end markets.

Syensqo, the new name for SpecialtyCo, has a strong connection to Solvay’s history of science at the service of humankind: The breakdown of the name is as follows:

• “Sy” links back to the first and last letters in Solvay.
• “en” is a nod to Ernest Solvay’s name.
• “Syens” refers to Solvay’s scientific heritage, which goes back to 1911, when its founder, Ernest Solvay, brought 24 of the world’s most brilliant scientific minds together — including Albert Einstein and Marie Curie — for the first Solvay Conference. 
• “Q” points to this same 1911 conference, which reportedly laid the foundations for quantum physics, and launched one of the greatest scientific journeys ever, still feeding cutting-edge innovation today.
• And “qo” is for company.

According to the company, Syensqo will play a key role in the future of clean mobility, by making the next generation of electric vehicle (EV) batteries possible and by advancing green hydrogen and thermoplastic composites. It will bring about breakthroughs in bio-based solutions, natural ingredients, circular solutions and more.

Syensqo will include the innovative businesses Specialty Polymers, Composites, Novecare, Aroma, Technology Solutions, Oil & Gas, as well as the four growth platforms in batteries, green hydrogen, thermoplastic composites and renewable materials and biotechnology. The businesses within Syensqo generated approximately €7.9 billion in net sales in 2022.

Solvay will continue to provide regular updates on the separation through a dedicated section of the website providing ongoing information about this important project.