Kaneka to Invest 22.5 Million Dollars for Expanding Biodegradable Polymer Production

The global demand for biodegradable plastics is predicted to be over a million tonne in 2022 and hence, the company has undertaken this move. Once complete, the facility is expected to produce a capacity of about 5,000 tonne per year.

Japan – Kaneka Corporation has plans to expand its manufacturing facility which produces biodegradable polymer more specifically the Kaneka Biodegradable Polymer PHBH. The production capacity will be about 5,000 tonne per year with an investment amount of 22.5 million dollars and will begin operating in December 2019. Kaneka Biodegradable Polymer PHBH, which is derived from 100 % plants and has superior biodegradability, is now actively getting applied to fruits and vegetable bags or compost bags in Europe.

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This is because restrictions have been tightened to reduce disposal plastic bags, contributing to the increase in sales. Furthermore, while pollution of microplastics emerges as a global concern, PHBH is not only certified as biodegradable in seawater, but also registered as a ‘Food Contact Substance’ from FDA in March this year. The global demand for biodegradable plastics is predicted to be over a million tonne in 2022 which is expected to bring about huge market expansion.

Through the firm’s manufacturing capacity reinforcement, Kaneka will establish a production facility which meets rapidly growing demands and at the same time develop further applications. For the next step, the company has collaterally started considering a commercial plant with a production capacity of 20,000 tonne per year to realise the full-scale business expansion.