Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (“MCC”; Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Hitoshi Ochi) today announced the launch of full-scale sales of a new grade of its DURABIO™ bio-based engineering plastic designed for bottles.

DURABIO™ is a bio-based engineering plastic made from renewable plant-derived isosorbide. It features higher transparency than polycarbonate, higher strength than acrylic, and improved resistance to cracking. These unique properties have created many applications in the automotive component and optical device markets.

The new grade was recently developed for the bottle market, and based on the following properties, it allows for commercial production of bottles that are both attractive and eco-friendly.

(1) Superior impact resistance, even for bottles, while maintaining DURABIO™’s original high transparency.
(2) The material is both eco- and people-friendly, since the main ingredient is derived from plants.
(3) High thermostability limits color changes in the plastic due to heat retention during blow molding.

The new grade has already been adopted for outer packaging of delaminated sealed bottles for cosmetics, and MCC anticipates broader applications. The company continues to accelerate marketing and R&D on DURABIO™ to contribute to environment-friendly monozukuri or manufacturing.