Taiyo Oil, Mitsui Chemicals join forces to boost chemically recycled products

This newly launched joint study represents the next step in strengthening both companies’ contributions to the circular economy

Taiyo Oil Co. and Mitsui Chemicals announced the start of a collaborative study aimed at accelerating the transition to a circular economy.

Taiyo Oil recently obtained ISCC PLUS certification at its Shikoku Operations in Imabari, Ehime (June 2025) and at its Tokyo headquarters (July 2025). The company is currently constructing facilities to receive pyrolysis oil derived from plastic waste and other feedstocks, with plans to utilize its refinery infrastructure for chemical recycling.

Mitsui Chemicals, for its part, has been advancing efforts in sustainable production. Since December 2021, the company has introduced bio-based hydrocarbons into its cracker at the Osaka Works in Takaishi, Osaka, enabling the manufacture and marketing of plastics and chemicals based on the mass balance approach. In March 2024, Mitsui Chemicals began incorporating pyrolysis oil derived from plastic waste supplied by CFP Corporation into its cracker, further expanding the production and commercialization of chemically recycled plastics and chemicals.

This newly launched joint study represents the next step in strengthening both companies’ contributions to the circular economy. Under the initiative, Taiyo Oil’s Shikoku Operations will process the heavy fraction of pyrolysis oil from plastic waste, which cannot be efficiently handled in Mitsui Chemicals’ crackers. The resulting chemically recycled naphtha, propylene, and other products, manufactured using the mass balance approach, will be supplied to Mitsui Chemicals. The study will also explore ways to expand the range of waste plastic feedstocks that can be utilized, as well as opportunities to increase the supply of bio-based products.

Through this collaboration, Taiyo Oil and Mitsui Chemicals aim to significantly expand the availability of chemically recycled and bio-based materials, helping to foster a society that is not only sustainable but regenerative.