Asahi Kasei Plastics Singapore Pte Ltd (APS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Asahi Kasei, acquired the widely recognized international certification ISCC PLUS for its polyphenylene ether (PPE) as a sustainable product.

Production of PPE using biomass-derived raw material is scheduled to begin in January 2023. PPE is an engineering plastic that is blended with other resins such as polystyrene and polyamide to form modified PPE (m-PPE). Asahi Kasei’s Xyron m-PPE is widely used in automotive parts, consumer electronics, and industrial products.

For example, leveraging its excellent electrical insulation and other electrical characteristics, Xyron is used in parts for photovoltaic power generation systems which operate at high voltage. Xyron is also used in components of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), which are rapidly becoming widespread. Its low specific gravity and flame-retardancy allow batteries to be made lighter, which contributes to increased range and lower CO2 emissions.

As awareness for the global environment and the importance of sustainability increase, Asahi Kasei has worked to further raise the environmental contribution of Xyron m-PPE by using recycled raw material and biomass raw material.

Under these circumstances, Asahi Kasei and APS sought to reduce CO2 emissions across the supply chain for Xyron m-PPE, and in September 2022, APS became the first PPE manufacturer in Asia to acquire ISCC PLUS certification.

The certification enables APS to produce and sell PPE using sustainable raw material assigned by the mass-balance method. APS plans to produce PPE using sustainable raw material beginning January 2023.

In order to contribute to carbon neutrality, Asahi Kasei is developing recycled grades of Xyron m-PPE which are made using recycled material, and working together with customers to establish a recycling scheme. PPE is a material suitable for recycling as its chemical structure has excellent hydrolysis resistance, which suppresses the deterioration of physical properties. Asahi Kasei also developed and patented technology to extend the service life of Xyron m-PPE, which further suppresses the deterioration of physical properties due to recycling.

The Asahi Kasei Group aims to be a global sustainable partner for its customers by contributing to the reduction of waste and CO2 emissions through the assignment of biomass in the PPE of its Xyron m-PPE by the mass-balance method, the development of products utilizing recycled material, and the establishment of a recycling scheme together with its customers.