Moeve, L’Oréal Groupe, Lefance and Almirall, best-in-class at Expoquimia 2026

The new Moeve plant in Huelva, the first in Spain to produce isopropyl alcohol; the L’Oréal Groupe factory in Burgos, a pioneer in the reuse and recycling of water; Lefance’s fashion accessories, manufactured with a solution developed by Beyond Leather together with Covestro, and Almirall’s digitalised and intelligent factory will be the four projects that will receive the best-in-class recognition of Expoquimia 2026 as examples of innovation and sustainable transformation thanks to chemistry. They will also be the protagonist success stories of the fair’s “Industry Showcase” conference space.

Expoquimia 2026, the International Meeting of Chemistry and Process Industries organised by Fira de Barcelona, will combine a growing commercial offer with a programme of activities focused on applied knowledge, real cases and high-level networking. Within this framework, the best-in-class of Expoquimia will highlight these national industrial projects in which chemistry acts as a lever for change to advance in sustainability, efficiency and digitalisation.

In this sense, one of the projects awarded by Expoquimia this year is the one that Moeve is promoting in Palos de la Frontera (Huelva): the start-up of the first isopropyl alcohol (IPA) production plant in Spain. A pioneering project that will be integrated into the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley, as it is designed to operate sustainably with this energy. The facility will use acetone as a raw material and, through a hydrogenation process, will allow obtaining high-purity IPA with high operational efficiency and cost competitiveness.

Driven by the company’s Positive Motion strategy, Moeve’s IPA plant has involved an investment of more than €80 million. Its recognition as a best-in-class highlights the innovative nature of the plant and the strategic relevance of the IPA, a key product for public health due to its use in the manufacture of hydroalcoholic gels, disinfectants and other hygiene products.

L’Oréal Groupe, circular water use

L’Oréal Groupe’s international factory in Burgos, one of its most advanced production centres, is another of the projects recognised by the show for being an international benchmark in water efficiency thanks to its Waterloop model, a closed-loop system that allows water to be recycled and reused within the industrial environment. In 2025, the plant managed to save a total of 67,000 m3 of water, the equivalent of 27 Olympic swimming pools.

This approach makes it possible to minimise the consumption of water resources and move towards fully circular water management in industry, integrating environmental sustainability, operational efficiency and advanced production. The project exemplifies how chemistry and process engineering make it possible not only to reduce consumption, but also to recover, treat and reincorporate water continuously into the industrial cycle.

Lefance, new materials

Expoquimia has also highlighted the project of the Spanish sustainable fashion firm Lefance for its promotion in the adoption of alternative materials to leather from agri-food waste, intended for the manufacture of garments, accessories and other products with high added value.

Beyond Leather’s Leap® solution stands out, which is obtained from apple waste and represents a sustainable and high-performance alternative to animal leather. It is a vegan material, with a low carbon footprint and durability and resistance comparable to those of leather, qualities that it achieves thanks in large part to Covestro’s INSQIN® coating technology, based on water-based polyurethanes.

All in all, this material demonstrates the role of chemistry in creating more circular alternatives that are less dependent on conventional raw materials. The best‑in-class recognition focuses on the industry’s ability to transform waste into sustainable, commercially viable materials with new features.

Almirall, digital transformation

Finally, the show includes Almirall among the recognitions of this edition for its new innovative plant, more sustainable and efficient from an energy point of view. To do so, it has undertaken a digital transformation plan that integrates automation and digitalisation, data analysis, artificial intelligence and technologies such as the digital twin of its plant in Sant Andreu de la Barca, which allows real-time decisions to be made on the consumption of its energy mix.

The goal is to improve traceability, operational efficiency, quality, and decision-making in an environment where accuracy and reliability are critical. Its selection as best‑in-class underlines a digital transformation with a real impact on production and industrial management, beyond the mere incorporation of new technologies.

These four best-in-class projects will be presented in the Industry Showcase conference space at Expoquimia, whose programme is structured around key levers of industrial transformation: decarbonisation, water management, new materials and digitalisation.

SEAT, best-in-class of Equiplast

At the same time, the Equiplast show, which is being held together with Expoquimia, will award its best‑in-class recognition to SEAT & CUPRA for its innovative circular strategy in the production of plastic parts with new materials and biopolymers. Specifically, the car company promotes the use of recycled and renewable materials, such as SEAQUAL® YARN, derived from plastics recovered from the sea, or the Dinamica® microfibre, made with 73% recycled polyester through a water-based process, among others.

This success story, for its part, will be presented within the framework of Equiplast’s Rethinking Plastic presentation program as a reference case in circularity and in the development of new solutions for plastics.

The projects will receive their recognition during the Gala Dinner to be held on June 3 in the Oval Room of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC). The dinner will bring together more than 700 representatives of leading companies, sectoral associations and institutional representatives, and will serve to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Expoquimia, highlighting the strategic role of chemistry and the plastics industry in the sustainable and competitive transformation of the productive fabric.

Expoquimia and Equiplast will be held from 2 to 5 June at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue, bringing together a joint offer of more than 800 exhibitors and a forecast of 21,000 professionals, in an environment where the chemical and plastics industries converge to promote more sustainable and innovative materials and processes.

Barcelona, April 21, 2026

PRESS BADGES FOR EXPOQUIMIA 2026 HERE

MEDIA GALLERY OF EXPOQUIMIA 2023 HERE 

Maria Dolores Herranz / Josep Lluís Mérida
Tel. 93 233 25 41 – 2114
[email protected]
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