On December 7, Teijin announced that its TeijinFrontier company has developed a practical polylactic acid (PLA) resin that biodegrades faster
in oceans, rivers and soils than traditional PLA products.
By adding a new biodegradation promoter to the polymer, Teijin Frontier has increased its biodegradation rate without compromising strength, formability or other practical properties
.
The new PLA resin, due to the higher biodegradation rate, is expected to help reduce microplastics and reduce CO2 emissions
during the product life cycle.
Teijin Frontier will begin producing and selling pellets, injection molded and extruded products, textiles and nonwovens made from its new PLA resin in FY2023, with a goal of hundreds of millions of yen
in sales by FY2026.