NEWS RELEASE

Teijin Frontier Develops Practical, Highly Biodegradable
PLA Resin that will Help to Reduce Microplastics
Tokyo, Japan, December 7, 2022 --- Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd., the Teijin Group’s fibers
and products converting company, announced today that it has developed a practicalpolylactic acid (PLA) resin that biodegrades faster in oceans, rivers and soil compared toconventional PLA products. By adding a new biodegradation accelerator to the polymer,
Teijin Frontier has improved its biodegradation rate without impairing strength, moldability
or other practical properties.
The new PLA resin is expected to help reduce microplastics thanks to its accelerated
biodegradation rate as well as reduce CO2 emissions during product lifecycles since it ismade from plant-derived raw materials.
Teijin Frontier will begin producing and selling pellets, injection- and extrusion-molded
products, textiles and non-woven fabrics made with its new PLA resin in fiscal 2023
(ending in March 2024), targeting sales of several hundred million JPY by fiscal 2026.

Fishing lure made with newly developed PLA resin

Teijin Frontier, under its THINK ECO® environmental initiative, is striving to improve its
environmental value by developing greener materials and products for applications
ranging from clothing to industrial materials.
Conventionally, when PLA polymer is hydrolyzed to less than 10,000Mn (averagemolecular weight) it can be broken down into carbon dioxide and water by bacteria andfungi. The biodegradation accelerator added by Teijin Frontier hastens hydrolysis toreduce the molecular weight more quickly than in the case of PLA polymers without such
additives, thereby enabling faster biodegradation in oceans, rivers and soil. During
product processing and storage, however, molecular weight decreases only slightly,
similar to that of conventional PLA polymers, so Teijin Frontier’s new PLA resin is highly
practical because its crystallinity and moldability are not impaired.
The new PLA resin can be processed and molded in the same way as conventionalversions for the production of resins, films, injection and extrusion molded products,
textiles and non-woven fabrics. Also, the decomposition period—about six months to two
years according to verification tests conducted by Teijin Frontier—can be controlled byadjusting addition conditions and the amount of biodegradation accelerator. Accordingly,decomposition can be adjusted to the life expectancy of specific items, such asagriculture and fishery products, for example.
Soil degradation of 300μm-thickness films
At start

Eight weeks later
1,250

Newly developed product

Conventional productTeijin Frontier test in which colorless and transparent films were buried in 10cm of soil
for eight weeks (June to October 2022) in Japan

PLA resins, which are generally made from plant-derived ingredients and arebiodegradable, are used in a wide range of products due to their high crystallinity andpracticality. Although biodegradation performance is acceptable under hot, humid
compost conditions, the rate is slowed down greatly in oceans, rivers and soil, resulting in
the presence of residual microplastics for long periods of time. Until now, attempts toimprove biodegradability have impaired the strength and other practical properties ofthese products.
About the Teijin Group
Teijin (TSE: 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in thefields of environmental value; safety, security and disaster mitigation; and demographic
change and increased health consciousness. Originally established as Japan's first rayon
manufacturer in 1918, Teijin has evolved into a unique enterprise encompassing threecore business domains: high-performance materials including aramid, carbon fibers andcomposites, and also resin and plastic processing, films, polyester fibers and products
converting; healthcare including pharmaceuticals and home healthcare equipment forbone/joint, respiratory and cardiovascular/metabolic diseases, nursing care andpre-symptomatic healthcare; and IT including B2B solutions for medical, corporate andpublic systems as well as packaged software and B2C online services for digitalentertainment. Deeply committed to its stakeholders, as expressed in the brandstatement “Human Chemistry, Human Solutions,” Teijin aims to be a company that
supports the society of the future. The group comprises some 170 companies andemploys some 20,000 people across 20 countries worldwide. Teijin posted consolidated
sales of JPY 926.1 billion (USD 7.2 billion) and total assets of JPY 1,207.6 billion (USD
9.4 billion) in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2022.
Press Contact
Investor and Public Relations DepartmentTeijin Limited
pr@teijin.co.jp