Taiwan Mitsui Chemicals, Nan Ya Plastics to develop ‘biomass-based-plastics’ & develop markets

Technological breakthroughs & developments are sine qua non for sustainable development & upkeep of the natural environment. In a key development, Taiwan Mitsui Chemicals Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui Chemicals and Nan Ya Plastics Corp. have announced that they have embarked on efforts to develop the market for biomass-based plastic products.

Under this initiative, NPC will procure biomass-based acetone produced by Mitsui Chemicals and use it to manufacture biomass-derived bisphenol A (BPA) in Taiwan.

Efforts to develop the market for biomass-feedstock-based plastics

In August 2024, Taiwan Mitsui Chemicals acquired certification under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS system for certifying sustainable products. Using the mass balance system based on this certification, the company began supplying the Taiwanese market with biomass-derived materials in January 2025.

Having also acquired ISCC PLUS certification in September 2024, leading Taiwanese materials manufacturer NPC will procure biomass feedstocks from Taiwan Mitsui Chemicals to manufacture biomass-derived BPA under this mass balance system. NPC then intends to start developing biomass plastics such as epoxy and polycarbonate resins using this BPA.

Biomass-based acetone, BPA and plastics can easily be used to replace existing products, because they all have the same physical properties as conventional petroleum-derived chemicals and plastics. As such, biomass-derived materials help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the product life cycle and thereby assist in achieving carbon neutrality.

The mass balance system is an ISCC PLUS-recognized material control method that assigns sustainability to a portion of products made from a mixture of sustainable and non-sustainable raw materials in proportion to the percentage of sustainable raw materials input.

Future developments

Taiwan Mitsui Chemicals has kicked off the initiative between the two companies in January 2025 with the supply of biomass-based acetone produced under the mass balance system. Going forward, Taiwan Mitsui Chemicals and NPC aim to leverage these efforts to expand sales of products that support the shift toward biomass-based plastics, and intend to go about this by developing and making eco-friendly products throughout the supply chain.