Mitsubishi Chemical buying 2 carbon fibre recycling firms

"The two companies’ manufacturing equipment, intellectual property, and other assets will be transferred to MCC along with trade rights and all other rights and obligations," the Japan-headquartered MCC said in a statement.

Based on the Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (MCHC) Group’s medium- to long-term basic management strategy KAITEKI Vision 30, MCC views the circular economy as a key element in its realization of KAITEKI, and in-house product recycling is an important initiative within this strategy.

CFK has its own network to collect leftover materials generated during the moulding of intermediate materials such as carbon fibre prepreg, mainly from customers in mobility-related industries, and also draws on its advanced proprietary technology to recycle these materials into usable forms of carbon fibre. In turn, carboNXT sells these CFK-recycled products.

Early this year, MCC had acquired c-m-p GmbH, a carbon fibre prepreg manufacturer, as well as the Minger Group of engineering plastics recycling companies. With the latest acquisition, MCC will establish a chain from the manufacture of carbon fibres and carbon fibre composites to collection and recycling of products, in Europe, following Japan, where the chain has already been established.

MCC’s subsidiary Shinryo Corporation engages in the carbon fibre recycling business. "In the future, MCC will offer total solutions including product recycling to customers, by using recycled products as raw materials within the group.

"Going forward, the company will continue to strengthen its capability to propose solutions to users as a leader in the carbon fibre composite industry and will contribute to the realisation of a recycling-based society," the statement added.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RKS)