Kaneka to significantly increase its production capacity for KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer Green Planet™ in Japan

MINATO-KU, Tokyo, Feb. 8, 2022 /CNW/ -- Kaneka Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Minoru Tanaka) is pleased to announce that it will significantly increase production capacity for KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer Green Planet™ (referred to below as "Green Planet™") in Japan. This expansion will add an additional 15,000MT production per year to our current 5,000MT per year.

Plastic pollution has become a widespread problem with single-use plastics being banned in many places around the world. In Japan, the Act on "Resource Circulation for Plastics", slated to go into effect in April of this year, will mandate a reduction in single-use plastics. Green Planet™ products (Polyhydroxyalkanoates) holds promise as an innovative solution against environmental harm caused by single-use plastics due to their highly compostable characteristics, while maintaining similar functionality as traditional plastics. 

Green Planet™(PHBH™) is a biopolymer produced by microorganism biofermentation using plant oils. Green Planet™ resins and compounds break down in both soil and water at the end of life depending on environmental conditions.

Green Planet™ compounds are already being used to make straws, cutlery, coffee capsules, bags, films and other applications. These applications alone amount to over 5 million tons per year. The number of inquiries Kaneka is receiving from environmentally conscious brand holders is growing rapidly and Kaneka will expand its supply capabilities to meet growing demand.

Kaneka plans to further increase its production capacity in Europe and America, where demand is also rising. Green Planet™ has business potential on the order of hundreds of thousands of tons, and will be one of the core products in Kaneka's business portfolio.

Green Planet™ can be used in a wide variety of applications, and this range is expected to grow even further in the future. For this reason, the new production plant is viewed as a foundation for future process technology development. By operating this new plant, Kaneka plans to further develop new products, promote productivity improvement and cost reduction, through process innovation. The benefits from such process innovation will thus be applied to future capacity expansions.

Kaneka has positioned Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) as a core policy of business management, and is pursuing its mission, "KANEKA thinks Wellness First". This active investment in Green Planet™ products embodies the company's strong commitment to ESG management. Kaneka will continue to contribute towards sustainable and circular societies and solve the problem of plastic pollution.

North America Contact:
Christiane Waldron
281-474-7084

SOURCE Kaneka Corporation