Poly (Butylene Adipate-Co-Terephthalate) Companies

September 2023

The South Korean manufacturer of materials, SKC Co., has announced that it intends to develop a production facility in Vietnam to generate raw materials for biodegradable plastics as part of its efforts to grow the eco-friendly materials industry.

Polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), a biodegradable co-polymer that is frequently used as feedstock for general plastics, will be produced at the plant, which will be built in the city of Hai Phong in northeastern Vietnam, according to SKC. The facility is scheduled to open for business in 2025.

70,000 tonnes of PBAT are intended to be produced annually from the plant by Ecovance, SKC's PBAT joint venture with two other South Korean partners.

During the ceremony to launch the investment plan, SKC and Ecovance officials traveled to Vietnam. The Vietnamese government gave them an investment registration certificate, which is a legal document needed for foreign companies to invest in Vietnam.

Nanocellulose derived from trees is used by Ecovance to create PBAT with increased durability. In general-purpose plastics, such as food containers, diapers, and masks, as well as industrial films, PBAT is widely utilized. In addition, SKC plans to construct a different facility on the same site in order to produce 36,000 tonnes of Limex, its biodegradable material, annually.

Limex is created by combining limestone with common plastic resins, like PP and PE, in order to minimize plastics that come from petroleum-based materials. Limex, which contains the biodegradable PBAT, is intended for commercialization by SKC. Under the energy-to-telecom conglomerate SK Group, SKC, a chemical unit, is making a full transition to become an advanced materials company.  

Key Companies in the Poly (Butylene Adipate-Co-Terephthalate) market include

• Far Eastern New Century Corporation


• Lotte Fine Chemical Co. Ltd.


• Jiangsu Tories biomaterials co. Ltd.


• BASF SE


• SK Chemicals


• Jinhui Zhaolong High Technology.


• Novamont SpA.


• WILLEAP


• Eastman Chemical Company