Mathieu Flamini has had to play a central role to Arsenal’s Premier League campaign given the number of injuries his team-mates have suffered this season, but he may have just made his most important move of the season – to tackle climate change.
The 31-year-old revealed in December that he is the co-founder of GFBiochemicals, a firm that produces sustainable levulinic acid with the aim to replace oil compounds and reduce the impact of climate change on the earth.
Now, the France international has reason to celebrate long before the season is over, as his company has taken “a step closer” to his aim of finding sustainable alternatives to oil-based products by acquiring assets and intellectual property from leading US bioplastic producer Segentis.
Speaking after the announcement was made, Flamini said: “Climate change is the biggest issue of our time and now more than ever urgent action is required. We founded GFBiochemicals with an ambition to find sustainable alternatives to oil-based products. By acquiring Segetis, the market-leading producer of bioplastic using levulinic acid, we are a step closer to achieving that ambition.”
GFBiomechanics has snapped up Segentis in order to produce green products made from biocompounds. It already makes fragrances, household cleaners and PVC from sustainable levulinic acid sourced from plants, and the company’s chief commercial officer, Marcel van Berkel, added that the announcement is a defining moment in their growth to tackle climate change.
“This acquisition marks an important transformational moment for GFBiochemicals and the beginning of its growth strategy,” Van Berkel said, before revealing that further acquisitions of levulinic acid’s derivative technologies are in the pipeline and could be of interest to GFBiochemicals.
Despite playing for Arsenal and AC Milan – two of Europe’s biggest clubs – since 2004, Flamini managed to keep his involvement with GFBiomechanics under wraps until he revealed his other career in 2015.
Flamini based the company in Milan along with business partner Pasquale Granata seven years ago while he was playing for the Serie A side, before returning to Arsenal in 2013, and he has featured regularly throughout the season after both Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin – two of his fellow midfielders – suffered long-term injuries in November.
