CONTENT BY THE WORLDFOLIO“Our target is to enter
new fields of opportunity,and sustain a circular
economy and society.”
Matsuru Kushida,
President &Representative Director,
N.E. CHEMCAT CORPORATION

A company whose catalysts contribute to a variety of industries, N.E. CHEMCAT has
SDGs in its sights as part of its Vision 2030.
A part of BASF Group, theworld’s largest chemical producer, N.E. CHEMCAT CORPORATION is a major Japanesemanufacturer of precious metal
catalysts for a range of applications. A company whosecorporate slogan is ‘excite theimagination’, it supplies an extensive portfolio of clients inboth the domestic and international market.
Founded in 1964 in a joint
venture between Sumitomo
Metal Mining and BASF Corporation (then known as Engelhard Corporation), N.E. CHEMCAT has three chief productareas: auto exhaust catalysts
that neutralize harmful emissions from combustion engines;
chemical catalysts used to
manufacture industrial goods
such as chemical fibers, plastic
bottles and medical products;
and fuel cell catalysts that produce electricity from hydrogenand oxygen.
Headquartered in Tokyo, N.E.
CHEMCAT has production andR&D locations in Numazu Cityand Bando City, and works
closely with its fellow groupmembers.

As Japan, along with manyother countries, targets carbon neutrality by 2050, N.E.
CHEMCAT has in recent years
stepped up its focus on catalysts for new energy value
chain applications using alternative energy sources suchas hydrogen and ammonia. Thecompany has started to develop catalysts to reduce carbon
emission in energy production,storage, delivery, usage andrecycling.
Especially when it comes tothe usage of hydrogen, catalysts for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCVs) are emerging asa growing alternative to combustion engine vehicles. “Fuelcell catalysts represent a newbusiness area which we havebeen putting most emphasis on,”says the company’s president
and representative director,
Matsuru Kushida.
“There is a surge in EVs (battery electric vehicles) and FCVs
to work towards zero emissions.
Contributing to this trend ofelectrification, our fuel cell electrode catalyst has great potential for growth, being a vital
component of the FCV.

N.E. CHEMCAT’s fuel cell business is key to Vision 2030, acompany action plan that targets the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developedby the United Nations.
“We see new opportunities infields related to SDG applications that are focused on lowering carbon emissions and climate temperature,” Mr. Kushidasays. Fuel cells are also integral
to N.E. CHEMCAT’s global expansion plans – “we would liketo approach global OEMs andsuppliers to provide catalysts
for FCV buses and trucks,” Mr.
Kushida notes – while the use ofhydrogen power in areas otherthan the automobile sector isa target for the company, too.
In addition to reducing emissions, N.E. CHEMCAT’s fuel cell
technology has a role to playin creating a circular economy– a goal that is another major
element of Vision 2030. Forexample, the firm is committed to recovering and recycling
the precious metals used in thecatalysts it creates both forhydrogen power generation andother applications. “We also
call ourselves a refining com-

A wide variety of catalysts
pany,” Mr. Kushida explains.
“We recover precious metals
from spent products, utilizing
our extensive history and experience in base and preciousmetals. We want to provide
a comprehensive FCV service
that includes the collection ofprecious metals.”
N.E. CHEMCAT also aims towork towards achieving theSDG relating to food security, bymaking fruit and vegetables last
longer. “When they are transported, they produce gasses
that hasten their aging process,”
Mr. Kushida says. “To reduce
the gasses produced by food,
we can combine a catalyst withthe active gas to slow down therotting process and be more efficient in transporting it. This issomething we can pursue.”
www.ne-chemcat.co.jp/eg