Foam Molded Product made from KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer Green PlanetTM Adopted for Sonys Largescreen TV Cushioning Material

TOKYO, Japan:
Kaneka Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Kazuhiko Fujii; hereinafter “Kaneka”)(TOKYO:4118) has announced that its “Green Planet foam molded product” using KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer Green Planet^TM (hereinafter “Green Planet”) has been adopted by Sony Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter “Sony”) as a cushioning material for its large-screen televisions. The material will be used for 85-inch BRAVIA^TM television to be released this summer^*1. To ensure shock resistance for large, heavy televisions during transportation, a certain level of strength and durability is required. Using Sony’s technical expertise in packaging design and Kaneka’s material molding technology, the two companies conducted a series of technical verifications to realize the use of Green Planet’s foam molded product as cushioning materials. This is a world first^*2 for Green Planet foam molded products to be used as cushioning materials for home electric appliances.

BRAVIA packaging materials using Green Planet and image of use (Photo: Business Wire)

Green Planet is a 100% biomass-derived biodegradable biopolymer developed by Kaneka based on our desire to provide environmentally friendly solutions that do not depend on petroleum resources. It has excellent biodegradability in a wide range of environments and easily decomposes in soil and seawater, returning to CO2 and water, thus contributing to solving environmental pollution problems caused by plastics. The Green Planet foam molded product is the result of combining our long-cultivated foam molding technology with Green Planet’s development technology, and will be used in a wide range of cushioning material applications, such as packaging for home electric appliances, transportation containers for fresh food, and materials for the fishing industry.

Based on our mission of “KANEKA thinks ‘Wellness First’.”, Kaneka provides value globally as a solution provider. We will continue to strive for the realization of a sustainable society by promoting the use of Green Planet.