Mitsui Chemicals announced the development of a new bio-based building material in partnership with Prime Polymer Co and hide kasuga 1896 Co.

The three partners have created floor tiles made of Transwood with Prasus – a fully bio-based composite that combines a cellulose microfiber compound with Prasus, a mass-balanced bio-polypropylene resin produced by Prime Polymer.

The new building material was selected for use in the flooring of an event facility for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan (Expo 2025): the EXPO National Day Hall, which has been designed by Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office, among others.

Accordingly, Mitsui Chemicals has decided to provide sponsorship for Expo 2025 in the form of supplying the 20,000 floor tiles – each measuring 15 centimeters square – required for the facility.

In providing these biomass-based floor tiles, Mitsui Chemicals aims to express its endorsement of the theme of Expo 2025, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” and help to ensure that the event demonstrates consideration for the achievement of carbon neutrality and a circular economy.