Tackling regulations and product safety in a bio-economy startup – Clare Walker, Holiferm

In this episode I am joined by Claire Walker, Head of Global Regulations and Product Safety at bio-economy startup Holiferm. We discuss Clare’s career journey and her role at Holiferm, where the process of fermentation is being harnessed to produce biosurfactants to replace fossil-derived ingredients across a wide range of products.

We also discuss Clare’s work in mammalian toxicology and regulatory compliance, the contrast between working in a startup vs a multinational corporation, the importance of culture in a growing company, the regulatory challenges facing start-ups in the bioeconomy, animal testing and the friction between the EU cosmetic products and REACH regulations, the new hazards under EU CLP, evolving regulatory processes and the need for dialogue, and other topics.