Toray's PPS Resins from Renewable Sources Earn ISCC PLUS Certification

South Korea: Toray Industries, Inc. has shared the news about their Korean subsidiary, Toray Advanced Materials Korea Inc., receiving ISCC PLUS certification for their PPS resin manufacturing at the Gunsan plant. Being an independent multi-stakeholder initiative, ISCC PLUS is a renowned certification system that promotes sustainable, climate-friendly, and deforestation-free supply chains through full traceability.

Polyphenylene Sulfide is an organic polymer that comprises aromatic rings connected through sulfides. The synthetic fiber and textile manufactured using this polymer can withstand thermal and chemical damage. PPS finds its application in various fields like filter fabric for coal boilers, papermaking felts, electrical insulation, film capacitors, specialty membranes, gaskets, and packings. Moreover, it is also used to create a semi-flexible rod polymer family's conductive polymer. PPS, which is non-conductive, can be transformed into the semiconducting form by oxidation or using dopants.

Toray Advanced Materials Korea can now produce and provide PPS resins that include raw materials made from biomass naphtha and pyrolysis oil from waste plastics allocated through the mass balance method, with identical features as fossil-derived PPS resins, all thanks to the ISCC PLUS certification. This certification ensures that the recycled and biomass raw materials are adequately handled in the supply chain during mass-balance method production. The company is currently making arrangements to begin mass production.

As the biggest integrated PPS manufacturer in the world, the Toray Group manages a wide range of products, from polymers and compounds to fibers and films. Toray Advanced Materials Korea and Toray's Tokai Plant situated in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, have a combined PPS polymerization capacity that is the largest globally. Toray Advanced Materials Korea provides PPS resins to Group compounding sites located in China, Europe, the United States, and Southeast Asia.

Toray is currently seeking certification for the Tokai Plant. This initiative aims to establish a global supply structure for eco-friendly PPS resins and develop supply setups at compounding sites in countries where the company operates. This way, Toray can meet customer requirements for biomass and recycled raw materials while reducing its carbon footprint. Toray Group Sustainability Vision envisions a world where people manage resources sustainably by 2050. As part of its corporate philosophy to create new value and contribute to society, Toray will continue to cater to customer demand for environmentally friendly resins.

Toray Industries, Inc. is a multinational corporation that focuses on producing industrial goods utilizing organic synthetic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and biochemistry expertise. Initially, the company's focus was on fibers, textiles, plastics, and chemicals. The company has now expanded its operations into several other sectors, including but not limited to pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and R&D, medical products, reverse osmosis big membranes, electronics, IT-products, housing and engineering, and advanced composite materials.