Zeon Completes Construction Of Recycling Plant For Cyclo Olefin Polymers

Zeon Corporation has completed construction of a recycling plant for cyclo olefin polymers (COP; product names: ZEONEX and ZEONOR) at its Takaoka Plant (Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture). Zeon is set to begin recycling its own products for the first time, while the new plant will not only further differentiate Zeon’s COP products but also contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by reducing CO₂ emissions.

The completion ceremony, held at the plant on March 5, was attended by 44 people, including honored guests from Toyama Prefecture, Takaoka City, and local councils in the neighboring community, as well as personnel who had been involved in the construction. Also among the attendees were Zeon Chairman Kimiaki Tanaka, Corporate Officer and Takaoka Plant Manager Tomoyuki Kose, and other Company officials.

The new plant, construction of which began in the summer of 2022, will recycle waste resin generated when processing COP into film. COP film (product name: ZeonorFilm®) is widely used as retardation film for displays, taking advantage of unrivaled properties such as excellent optical stability and low water absorbency. For this reason, recycled resin to be used as raw material must be as high in quality as original resin, which had been difficult for conventional recycling technologies to achieve and maintain transparency and high purity. Zeon’s groundbreaking technology has made it possible to produce recycled resin with the same level of quality as original resin. Zeon plans to reuse the recycled resin to manufacture optical films in response to the robust demand that is expected to continue.

Outline of Cyclo Olefin Polymer Recycling Plant