Bayer and bp form strategic alliance to jointly scale camelina as intermediate crop for biofuels

Collaboration to commercialize camelina for producing biodiesel, renewable diesel (RD) and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) / bp will bring expertise in fuel and refining, Bayer its industry leading expertise in seed technology and extensive farmer customer base / Camelina brings added value as intermediate crop, rotational crop, and on underutilized land

St. Louis, May 6, 2026 – Bayer and bp today announced that they have entered a long-term strategic alliance to jointly scale the crop camelina, under the brand name newgold™. The alliance will commercialize camelina starting in North America. bp brings expertise in fuels and refining, while Bayer will utilize its industry leading expertise in seed technology, as well as its extensive farmer customer base. The alliance aims to further develop a reliable intermediate oilseeds market to help meet the growing demand for biodiesel, renewable diesel (RD) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) markets which is estimated to increase almost threefold to 40 billion gallons by 2040.

“This alliance will help us to connect the value chain necessary to bring camelina to market and provides our farmer customers greater market certainty as they consider camelina on their farm,” said Frank Terhorst, head of strategy and sustainability for Bayer’s Crop Science division. “We are utilizing our industry leading breeding program to enhance the crop, and its untapped potential globally to help meet the needs of this growing market. We see this as a win for our customers and their farms, as it creates potential new revenue streams, but also a win for the renewable fuels market.”

Philipp Schoelzel, senior vice president biofuels growth at bp, commented: "This collaboration represents bp at its best. Working with trusted partners with complementary capabilities to develop products customers want and need, while delivering value for our shareholders."

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