At Michelin ResiCare, we believe that the future of industrial chemistry lies in collaboration, innovation, and sustainability. Our flagship projects, Cerisea and DragonFly, embody this vision by developing biosourced, non-toxic molecules that replace hazardous petrochemical ingredients. These initiatives are transforming key industries such as automotive, construction, and advanced materials, while promoting circularity and industrial resilience across Europe.
We are proud to work alongside leading industry experts, research institutions, and public partners who share our commitment to sustainable innovation. This collaborative approach ensures that innovation is not only cutting-edge but also scalable and impactful.
MICHELIN ResiCare’s collaborative projects are designed to bridge the critical gap between laboratory innovation and industrial deployment, going beyond individual technologies. Creating new, safer molecules is only the first step. Ensuring their availability, reliability, and competitiveness on a large scale ultimately enables real industrial transformation.
Through large-scale, multi-partner initiatives, we address production capacity, supply-chain security, and regulatory readiness challenges from the earliest stages of development. By combining scientific excellence with pragmatic engineering and ecosystem alignment, our projects accelerate time-to-market while supporting long-term industrial adoption.
Cerisea – Scaling 5-HMF for Industrial Impact
Cerisea is ResiCare’s latest breakthrough in sustainable chemistry, focused on the large-scale production of 5-HMF, a versatile molecule derived from fructose. With a €60 million investment and support from European partners, Cerisea is unlocking new potential for biosourced industrial materials and promoting European autonomy in green chemistry.
Cerisea plays a key role in enabling downstream applications such as resins, adhesives, and advanced materials by moving 5-HMF from niche availability to industrial-scale production. This project is designed to secure long-term access to critical bio-based building blocks, reduce dependence on fossil-derived intermediates, and strengthen Europe’s strategic position in sustainable chemical manufacturing.
This scaling-up approach ensures that innovation is not limited to pilot success but can be reliably deployed across multiple industries with consistent quality, performance, and supply continuity.
DragonFly – Industrializing the Future of Green Adhesives
DragonFly is the latest step in our journey to revolutionize industrial adhesives. Building on the achievements of the completed BioImpulse Project, DragonFly focuses on the industrial-scale production of a bio-based monomer through advanced fermentation. This initiative aims to deliver safer, more sustainable resins for tomorrow’s industries, further reducing environmental impact and supporting the transition to non-toxic, high-performance materials.
DragonFly is specifically designed to address the challenges of translating bio-based chemistry into robust and cost-effective industrial solutions. By integrating fermentation, purification, and formulation considerations from the beginning, the project ensures that the resulting monomers meet sustainability and industrial performance objectives.
This collaborative effort enables the replacement of toxic adhesive components with bio-based alternatives that are compatible with existing manufacturing processes. Thus, manufacturers can transition without compromising productivity or reliability.
