Sustainable Solutions: Expert Blog Insights | Itaconix

2023 Itaconix Annual Report

Written by Avery Cieplik | Apr 17, 2024 4:00:00 AM

2023 Annual Report Highlights

For Nature With Nature

Everyday consumer products can exist in balance and harmony with nature and protect the safety and health of our environment.

We believe that new generations of consumer products will make the world a better and safer place by how they are produced, how they are transported, how they are used, and how they are disposed of. They will be less toxic to humans and the environment. They will not persist in the environment. They will contribute to rebalancing the planet’s carbon cycle to maintain the continuity of all lifeforms.

We believe nature offers opportunities to make the world a better and safer place without placing costly new burdens on consumers and society.

Itaconic acid is a natural ingredient produced in the human and plant world. We believe that itaconic acid has the potential as an ingredient to displace acrylic acid or styrene across $20B of possible applications ranging from cleaning and hygiene to paints and composites. 

Our innovations in the production and use of consumer product ingredients using itaconic acid as a starting material are enabling new generations of safer consumer products with improved levels of performance, affordability, and sustainability. 

With sixteen (16) patent families, we have by far the broadest proprietary technology platform for harnessing the value of itaconic acid within this $20B of possible uses.

With a product line of 12 ingredients used in consumer products in households around the world, we are pursuing the largest new market opportunities for itaconic acid. 

We are dedicated to further developing the unique functionality of itaconic acid as a base for plant-based solutions that that are safer and more sustainable without compromising on performance or cost.

Our Business Plan

Our goal is to build a large, profitable company with recurring attractive-margin revenues from a large and broad base of customers which purchase Itaconix products as key enabling ingredients in new generations of consumer products.

We employ our technology platform to create new itaconic acid-based ingredients that meet specific customer needs or opportunities in leading consumer product categories such as cleaning, beauty and hygiene.

Our primary focus is on selling our products directly to consumer product brands and manufacturers in North America and Europe. We work directly with customers and collaborate with category leaders on broader opportunities. Increasing usage in everyday products, particularly in the 360 million North American and European households, will form a broad growing base of recurring revenues with attractive margins from consumer brands that rely on our ingredients for safety, performance, cost, and sustainability credentials.

Our Progress

I am pleased to report another year of sustained progress for Itaconix, validating the technology platform and setting the stage for further growth.

Our polymers continue to be incorporated as key functional ingredients in cleaning, beauty, and hygiene products. From detergents and air fresheners to pet care and hair sprays, our products are found in consumer brands and major retailers across both North America and Europe.

New and recurring orders from our growing customer base increased our revenues to $7.9m in 2023 from $5.6m in 2022. We generate a loss at these levels of revenues and need to grow gross profits while continuing to manage our operating expenses in order to achieve profitability. With our successful fundraise in early 2023, we have the products, resources, and customer pipeline for continued growth towards profitability.

Corporate Governance

We continued to evolve our corporate structure in 2023.

Paul LeBlanc was appointed on 5 January 2023 as an independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee. Paul has valuable operating experience for the Company’s next stage of growth from his role as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Bemis Associates, a global manufacturer of specialty films and adhesives for the apparel and industrial markets.

Jonathan Brooks was appointed on 9 February 2024 as an independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Nomination Committee. Jonathan retired as Equity Capital Markets Partner at Fieldfisher LLP following a distinguished career as a corporate lawyer in the City of London. He adds extensive capital markets and growth company experience to the Company.

Summary

With funding in place and continued growth, 2023 marked Itaconix’s first year into a new stage of development and growth. We have validated our vision and business plan, developed a technology platform that generates valuable products, established a base of recurring revenues, and started expansion efforts into new applications with higher revenue potentials. As before, we will grow with leaps and bounds but we are on an exciting path to become a large profitable specialty ingredients business and make the world a better and safer place.

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