BASF supplies bio-feedstock for Asahi stretch fibres

Ludwigshafen, Germany – BASF is supplying ‘biomass balanced’ tetrahydrofuran (THF BMB) to Asahi Kasei for use in the manufacture of fibres.

Asahi Kasei’s Roica division will use the feedstock to produce its mass balance grade premium sustainable stretch fibre, BASF announced 11 Oct.

The supply-deal aims to support “the launch of a new sustainable apparel collection by Asahi Kasei’s customers,” according to the release.

Roica, which supplies ‘mass balance’ stretch fibre as an option for most of its portfolio products, is entering the market with MB stretch fibres, added BASF.

The Japanese group, it added, estimates that utilising BASF’s THF BMB can lead to an approximately 25% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to its existing products.

And, by introducing its own mass balance approach and renewable energy, Asahi Kasei aims to achieve a total CO2 reduction of about 50% compared to existing fibres.

There is a growing adoption of more sustainable raw materials in the global apparel market, said Choon Nga Phua, director, business management diols & derivatives, intermediates Asia Pacific.

“We will support our customers in accelerating the transition to a lower-carbon, circular bio-economy and help consumers make informed purchasing decisions about more sustainable products,” added the BASF director.

For a biomass balanced product, BASF replaces 100% of the fossil raw materials which are normally needed to produce the product with renewable feedstock in its integrated production set-up.

THF is used to produce polytetrahydrofuran, a raw material for the production of elastic fibres.