Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation has decided to withdraw from the polybutylene succinate (PBS) business at PTT MCC Biochem, its jointly owned affiliate with PTT Global Chemical Public Company. The production asset in Rayong Province,Thailand will shut down in December 2025 and sales will end once stock runs out. The GS Pla (Green and Sustainable Plastic) brand of PBS was launched in 2003 with 3,000 tonnes/year of capacity. PBS is a biodegradable plastic that decomposes into wa

Japan's Asahi Kasei will cease production of polyethylene resins by March 2030. Currently, the company manufactures low-density polyethylene (LDPE), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) under the Suntec-LD and Suntec-EVA, and Suntec-HD and Creolex brands. Creolex HDPE is produced using metallocene catalyst technology. Creolex metallocene HDPE grades exhibit excellent thermal stability and are additive-free in certain formulations. The materials co

German materials manufacturer Covestro and China’s Ninetygo have announced the global launch of the luggage brand’s new R-GO Coffee Journey Series suitcase, made with polycarbonate containing up to 90 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) content from Covestro. “The circular economy must prove its value in markets. The global launch of this new suitcase shows recycled materials can meet expectations for both performance and design,” said Lily Wang, President of Engineering Pla

A breakthrough method for chemically recycling polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA or acrylic) resin has been developed by researchers at the University of Bath. In contrast to conventional mechanical recycling, the new process employd lower temperatures and sustainable solvents without compromising material quality, meaning the plastic can be recycled many times over with minimal environmental impact. Approximately 3 million tonnes of acrylic are used worldwide each year, in a wi

Nitrile and latex gloves that scientists wear while they are measuring microplastics may lead to a potential overestimation of the tiny pollutants, according to a University of Michigan (U-M) study. The study found that gloves may unintentionally contaminate lab equipment scientists use to measure microplastics in air, water and other samples with nonplastic particles called stearates. U-M researchers Madeline Clough and Anne McNeil suggest cleanroom gloves, which release few

Non-edible rice bran touted as an alternative sustainable raw material in place of lignite for these engineering plastics lubricants and nucleators. Montan waxes, extracted from lignite, are a key additive input for engineering plastic compounds widely used in the automotive, electronics, and medical device industries and much more. They function as lubricants and nucleators in the processing of engineering plastics. With lignite being resources being rapidly depleted in in G

The EU-funded BioSupPack project has demonstrated that brewery waste can be transformed into high-performance bioplastics for sustainable packaging. Over five years, the 18-member consortium developed and validated polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA and PHB) materials and production processes that offer viable alternatives to fossil-based plastics while supporting compliance with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). Six innovation results At a demonstrative scale an

Citroniq and Premier Product Marketing, a Vinmar company, have announced a 15-year binding offtake agreement for the supply of OrganiqPP resins, the world’s only 100% biogenic, carbon-negative polypropylene. Citroniq is a leader in carbon-negative materials, while Premier Product Marketing is a global leader in the marketing and distribution of petrochemicals and plastics. The agreement represents 50% of the planned production capacity of Citroniq’s manufacturing facility in

Methanol is a key starting material for chemical products. Researchers from ETH Zurich can now Chemists from ETH Zurich have achieved a breakthrough in catalysis research on multiple levels. They have developed a catalyst that significantly lowers the energy barrier for the production of methanol from the greenhouse gas CO 2 and hydrogen. In the catalyst, the metal indium in an extremely efficient manner in the sense that each individual indium atom behaves as an active si

Clariant has completed a collaborative pilot-scale project with polyolefins supplier Borealis, and Sintef, one of Europe's largest independent research organizations. that proved Clariant’s upgrading technology was capable of converting pyrolysis oil (pyoil) derived from plastic waste to steam cracker-compatible feedstock that fully meets cracker-grade quality specifications. Using Clariant's proprietary HDMax catalysts, the pilot-scale testing conducted at Sintef’s research

HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. has announced that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has in principle approved the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, and disposal in the United States of its Fractal Graphene. The carbon-based product, engineered for performance at ultra-low loadings significantly improves tensile strength, modulus, and toughness in plastic composites, enhancing mechanical performance by 20% to 70% while maintaining processability co

Boretech is set to commission China’s first PET tray-to-tray recycling plant in Pinghu, Zhejiang Province, in the first quarter of 2026, marking a step toward expanding food-grade recycling beyond PET bottles. The facility, named Suplas and now in the final stage of installation, will have a processing capacity of 28,000 tonnes of PET trays per year. According to the company, Suplas will produce hot-washed PET tray flakes suitable for food-contact thermoforming, enabling clos

Chemical Recycling Japan, a subsidiary of oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan, has completed construction of a chemical recycling plant for converting post-consumer and post-industrial recovered plastics into oil; at a site in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The plant has aplastic processing capacity of 20,000 tonnes annual and is scheduled to commence commercial operations in April 2026. The company’s proprietary chemical recycling technology is centered on a catalyst-based c

Every year, the Valencian agricultural sector generates around 800,000 tonnes of plant waste, such as rice straw and citrus pruning waste. Currently, the methods for recovering this biomass are costly, as they require commercial enzymes that can represent up to 40% of the cost of the process, which limits its industrial viability. To solve this problem, AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, is leading the BIOVALSA project, an initiative that seeks to develop innovative pro

SABIC has the signed two strategic transactions to divest its European Petrochemicals (EP) business to AEQUITA and its Engineering Thermoplastics (ETP) business in the Americas and Europe to MUTARES, for a total combined enterprise value of $950 million. SABIC’s EP business produces and markets various petrochemical and plastic products: ethylene, propylene, low- and high-density polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE, and HDPE), polypropylene (PP), and value-added polymer compounds, and

Toray Industries, Inc., has developed a highly antistatic version of Toyolacparel acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin. The surface resistivity is 10 9 Ω/sq (one billion ohms per square), one-fifth that of the company’s conventional counterpart. Toyolacparel provides durable antistatic performance by forming a continuous-layer 3D network of antistatic polymer throughout the ABS resin. The high surface resistivity of the new compound reflects an improved molecular desig

In collaboration with Promix Solutions, Borealis has developed recyclable, lightweight packaging using Borcycle M materials with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) sets ambitious targets: by 2030, all packaging must be 100% recyclable. Additionally, non-PET packaging in contact-sensitive applications must include at least 10% recycled content, while other plastic packaging must contain 35%. Promix's Microcell technol

Bosch has demonstrated how recycled plastics ban be reused in technical applications through the application of plastic from old devices in the housing of its UniversalImpact 800 impact drill. This special Closed-Loop Edition features an impressive 78% recycled housing material. The technical plastics in these devices – special plastics with properties, such as being especially durable or resistant – are currently mostly incinerated rather than recycled. These plastics are

UK start-up Jiva Materials is seeking funding to further commercialization of a circuit board material made from natural fibers and a hot water-soluble, biodegradable resin. Soluboard cuts lifecycle emissions by 68% versus standard FR‑4 glass fiber/epoxy resin PCBs, makes devices lighter and allows efficient recovery of valuable metals. Soluboard combines natural fibers such as flax or jute with a non‑hazardous, water‑soluble biopolymer and a halogen‑free phosphorous flame r

The U.S. Plastics Pact (USPP) today released a new position paper on the role of physical and chemical recycling in a circular economy, offering science-based, consensus-driven guidance to policymakers and industry leaders. Developed with input from the full plastics value chain, the position provides clarity on how these technologies can help address hard-to-recycle plastics, while ensuring that they do not displace reduction, reuse, or mechanical recycling efforts. “Too of