Babycare and Solvay Forge Strategic Partnership, Transforming Global Supply Chain in the Maternal and Infant Sector

SHANGHAI, June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 29, leading mother and baby brand Babycare announced a strategic partnership with Belgian materials science company Solvay. The two companies will jointly explore innovative material solutions for baby feeding and nursing products, with a focus on bottles, cups and utensils. By leveraging an innovative multidisciplinary approach encompassing market demand analysis, technology sharing, and production process optimization, the collaboration envisions unlocking boundless possibilities for the market. The signing ceremony was attended by Babycare's senior director of strategic sourcing, Leo Xin, and Solvay's sales director of life solutions for Greater China, Amber Li.  

To date, Babycare has achieved strategic and in-depth collaborations with 19 industry leading multinational firms. The partnership with Solvay not only underscores the firm's ongoing strategic commitment to the infant nutrition sector, most notably with bottle products, but also enhances its competitive advantage in the market.

Revolutionizing baby bottles and caps: Babycare invests in premium materials and collaborative innovation

Through the collaboration, Babycare will incorporate Solvay's Duradex™ PPSU, a material specifically developed for transparent food-contact applications, into its range of baby products. Duradex™ PPSU has obtained food contact safety certifications in China, the United States and the European Union, among other countries and regions. The material is free from harmful substances such as bisphenol A and bisphenol S. It is also compatible with various disinfection and sterilization methods, including pressure steam at 134 ºC, water boiling at 100 °C and microwave sterilization, ensuring its durability during rigorous boiling disinfection processes for feeding product materials.

With a 160-year history as a global leader in specialty materials, Solvay holds a prominent position in the industry, consistently ranking among the top three players in the majority of the business sectors in which it plays a role. As one of the world's largest producers of PPSU, Solvay is also the first material manufacturer to enter the Chinese food contact market. The company's influence extends to the research and development as well as innovation of PPSU materials, further cementing its industry standing.

Due to its exceptional safety and stability, PPSU is highly suitable for various medical applications, including heart valves and artificial joints, making it an ideal high-end material for baby bottles and children's cups. PPSU's distinctive golden hue and a price point 30 times higher than standard PP materials earned it the nickname "plastic gold". Several years ago, Babycare was quick to recognize the exceptional properties of PPSU, most notably for its ability which meet the rigorous standards for feeding product materials. The firm readily embraced the material, acknowledging its unique characteristics. Since then, Babycare has predominantly utilized PPSU in the production of feeding essentials such as bottles, cups and utensils, ensuring the utmost safety and quality for babies.

Babycare will collaborate closely with Solvay to explore and develop innovative materials specifically for bottles and cups. The aim is to deliver safe, professional products to Chinese infants, assuring their health and well-being.

Babycare becomes China's first mother and baby brand to form a strategic partnership with Solvay

Over the past few years, the Chinese baby and children product market has witnessed outstanding growth, particularly in the segments for baby bottles and children's cups. Fueled by the growing demand for premium childcare products, the need for high-quality materials has risen accordingly. At the same time, both segments have undergone rapid transformation and consolidation, leading to the emergence of definite market leaders.

According to data from the data analysis firm Nint Intelligence Cloud, Babycare has, during the last two years, consistently achieved the top sales position for baby and children's cups and utensils on the platforms of Chinese e-commerce leaders, Tmall and JD.com. The remarkable achievement stands as evidence of the firm's leadership in the sector. Moreover, the company's off-center nursing bottles have successfully nourished over 700,000 babies since the product was first brought to market.

"Solvay and Babycare, both champions of innovation, safety, and environmental protection, strive to enhance the quality of life through technology," stated Mr. Xin, the Babycare senior director of strategic sourcing. "Through the tie-up with Solvay, Babycare is committed to providing consumers with more forward-thinking, reliable products, with the aim of driving the sustainable development of the mother and baby industry."

"After conducting extensive research on the Chinese mother and baby market, Solvay forged a strategic partnership with Babycare. Both parties will increase resource investments to support the growth of the Chinese market for healthy baby products while creating a win-win situation for both companies," added Ms. Li,  Solvay sales director.

The strategic partnership between Babycare and Solvay fosters extensive integration, spanning the gamut from raw materials to market expansion while reflecting their joint commitment to achieving success.

Babycare's ongoing in-depth commitment to the supply chain has enabled the establishment of a robust international partner network that forms a powerful basis for innovation

With a long-term commitment to the supply chain, Babycare has built and cultivated a strong global network of raw materials suppliers, including nine strategic partners and ten collaborative partners, all of which have provided invaluable support to the company. The strategic partners, including Henkel (Germany), Lycra (the US), and Signify (the Netherlands), have assured the baby bottle and cup maker a solid presence in five key markets, including Belgium, Germany, the US and the Netherlands. With an average history of over 100 years and a combined estimated annual sales revenue surpassing 800 billion yuan, these companies operate across diverse sectors, including fibers, adhesives, light source products and specialty materials. By continuously nurturing and expanding partnerships throughout the supply chain, Babycare has broadened its global network of raw material partners while, simultaneously, enhancing product quality control and fostering innovation across the upstream. The approach fosters a mutually beneficial relationship with the industry's multinational leaders.

"Market demand can drive technological progress." Babycare's growth trajectory in the mother and baby market perfect exemplifies this viewpoint. The company's expansion in the sector is a testament to its compassionate understanding of parents' concerns when it comes to feeding their infants and toddlers. By actively listening to these concerns, Babycare has gained valuable insights that have directly influenced the development of innovative products addressing those specific needs. Through collaborative research and a creative approach to its partnerships with strategic allies, Babycare has effectively overcome barriers to innovation, beginning with the sourcing of raw materials.

Babycare ensures the quality of raw materials and the stability of supply through strategic partner selection, centralized procurement, and rigid quality standards. The approach enables the company to secure materials from trustworthy industry sources and flexibly adjust production capacity in line with market forecasts, strengthening the system's resilience to risks. Consequently, Babycare consistently maintains a reliable supply from its partners, even during periods of raw material shortages.

Throughout the process, Babycare has successfully interconnected every stage, from sourcing raw materials to answering parents' many concerns, disrupting the traditional supply and demand relationships of the supply chain. By fostering strong relationships across both the upstream and the downstream, Babycare has not only redefined the very notion of a partnership, but has also emerged as a frontrunner in shaping industry trends.

About Babycare:

Babycare supplies design-forward products for parents, newborns and toddlers. In living the ethos of "Redesigned for Love," Babycare strives to challenge industry norms and develop effective, meaningful solutions for new lives. Each of Babycare's products is designed with parents in mind, covering diapers, tissues, feeding supplies, toys, travel goods, home accessories and so on. Babycare provides a one-stop, full-category solution for the next generation of families. Our innovative offerings appeal to parents of all ages and experience levels and have childcare periods from pregnancy to 6-years-old. Now serving more than 30 countries, over 45 million families choose us for their baby product needs.

About Solvay:

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 22,000 employees in 61 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet roadmap crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering a better life. The Group's innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world's top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €13.4 billion in 2022. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (SOLB). Learn more at www.solvay.com.

SOURCE Babycare