Toyobo has signed a licensing contract pertaining to a specific polymerization technology and its patents with Thailand-based Indorama Ventures Public Co. Ltd., the world’s largest polyethylene terephthalate (PET) manufacturer – and Iwatani Corporation, a Tokyo-based sales agent.
This June, Indorama Ventures started full-scale production of PET resin using Toyobo GS Catalyst, an aluminum catalyst developed by Toyobo, for beverage bottles for Suntory Holdings Ltd. products.
PET resin production requires raw materials and a catalyst to facilitate polymerization reactions. Conventionally, a heavy metal or rare metal compound, such as antimony or germanium, has been typically used as a catalyst.
Independently developed in 2002, Toyobo GS Catalyst uses neither heavy metals nor rare metals – precious natural resources that globally are in short supply. Furthermore, the aluminum catalyzed PET resin is easy to recycle, contributing to a reduction of environmental load generated by human activities.
The Toyobo GS Catalyst technology will be used globally through the licensing agreement with Indorama Ventures, which has production hubs worldwide.
The benefit of PET resins made by Toyobo GS Catalyst are:
- Excellent transparency, thermal stability and recyclability: the resin can be used for PET bottles, films, sheets, fibers, molded items and a wide range of other products.
- Excellent water resistance and weather resistance: the resin is used for Toyobo’s Shinebeam, backsheet film for solar batteries.
Toyobo has long maintained a cooperative relationship with Indorama Ventures in the production of textiles. In 2014, Toyobo and Indorama Ventures jointly acquired PHP Fibers GmbH, a Germany-based manufacturer of filament yarns for airbags. Toyobo and Indorama Ventures have also forged alliances in various other sectors.