Tokyo-based Polyplastics has announced plans to construct a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) production facility in Leuna, Germany, to meet growing global demand for its Topas COC polymers. The new plant, operated by subsidiary Topas Advanced Polymers GmbH, will have a capacity of 20,000 tons per year, more than doubling the company’s current output. The facility will be operational by mid-2023.
The company’s existing COC production plant is located in Oberhausen, Germany, about 400 kilometers west of Leuna. Since the Oberhausen plant opened in 2000, a broad range of applications for Topas COC has been developed. The material notably has become a crucial component in many medical devices because of its purity and glass-like properties.
In packaging products, Topas COC has raised the performance level of commodity polyolefins, enabling the development of simpler, more-recyclable, and sustainable solutions. Mono-material structures based on PE enhanced with Topas COC are more easily recyclable than multi-material products that use layers of PET or other PE-incompatible polymers.
Topas COC has been certified as a recyclable polyolefin as part of the EU initiative for a circular economy.
