Sumitomo Chemical to Sell Chemically Recycled Acrylic Resin to Electronics and Automotive Companies

Sumitomo Chemical will begin selling polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a polymer material made from methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomers produced through chemical recycling. South Korea's LG Display Co. and Japan's Nissan Motor Co. have decided to use this chemically recycled material in their products. Sumitomo Chemical will accelerate the implementation of chemical recycling in the MMA supply chain as an industry leader.

In 2022, Sumitomo Chemical built a new PMMA chemical recycling pilot facility at its Ehime Plant in Niihama City, Japan. The company has also implemented initiatives such as a joint project with Niihama City to recycle PMMA protective partitions used to reduce droplet transmission in the region, and its chemically recycled PMMA as raw material for acrylic jewelry sold by Star Jewelry Co.

In addition, Sumitomo Chemical has obtained third-party certifications such as ISCC PLUS certification and is working to implement a practical recycling system using a mass balance approach worldwide.

Sumitomo Chemical will supply its chemically recycled PMM produced in large-scale production facilities to applications such as electronics and automobiles that require high quality. The company will start selling the product to LG Display as a raw material for light guide plates used in liquid crystal display backlight units, and to Nissan Motor as a raw material for lenses used in automotive headlights.