Kuraray's range of future-ready solutions for mobility, packaging, and healthcare at K 2025

At K 2025, Kuraray is showing how its materials address key industry challenges:

Automotive

Kuraray’s materials for PFAS-free parts, heat-resistant displays, recyclable exterior components, and thermal solutions for EVs and tires tackle regulatory, and e-mobility demands.

Is your challenge regulatory compliance? Whether it is the upcoming ELV regulation or the impending PFAS ban, Kuraray offers innovative solutions for both legal requirements. Rear lights can be recycled with PARAPET™ acrylic impact modifiers and PARAPET™ PMMA resin.

Kuraray's MOWITAL® adhesive film technology team is working on a concept for a detachable solution for bonding composite materials and thanks to excellent wear resistance and low CoF, new GENESTAR™ grades enable the production of lightweight and robust wear and bearings without PFAS.

Or do you need to fulfill the cooling needs of EVs? Immersion-cooled batteries for EVs can be improved with GENESTAR™ GC 1201A: its electrical conductivity helps to avoid accumulation of static charges, and its hydrophobic structure ensures no water penetration. Two new GENESTAR™ grades provide lightweighting and excellent hydrolysis resistance. KURARAY LIQUID RUBBER GS-L-BR is a novel key component for next-generation EV tires which provides superior wear resistance and excellent rolling resistance.

Do you want to improve appearance of exterior lamps? KURALPHA™ high heat-resistant acrylic resin is an innovative alternative to polycarbonate and impresses with high transparency and superior UV-resistance.

EVAL™ EVOH resins can be used in the new generation of hydrogen tank systems. Multilayer hydrogen tank liners with EVAL™ prevent hydrogen permeation and ensure higher storage volume.

Packaging

The company’s bio-circular and compostable materials help address recyclability and performance requirements.

Are you looking for polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH/PVA) solutions for paper-based mono-materials? Bio-circular KURARAY POVAL™, ELVANOL™ and EXCEVAL™ allow you to create recyclable high-performance barrier paper packaging solutions. These bio-circular materials help decrease plastic content as they provide the highest available barrier to paper. Using the cradle-to-gate approach, the latest Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) —calculated in 2024 — shows that the “total climate change” value for 1 kg of KURARAY POVAL™ is 2.36 kg CO₂ equivalent for products manufactured in Frankfurt, Germany. Meet them and learn more about the sustainability promise of KURARAY POVAL™, ELVANOL™, and EXCEVAL™ and how they can add value to your products.

Don’t want to compromise on performance or recyclability regarding your paper or resin-based mono-material packaging? Even a very thin layer of bio-circular EVAL™ EVOH fulfils both, giving functional protection and recyclability. If you are seeking alternatives to traditional non-recyclable materials, often a high-barrier EVOH layer is the ideal solution. Let’s discuss which EVAL™ grade works best for your paper or plastic packaging challenge!

If you are looking for a biopolymer providing an oxygen barrier, PLANTIC™ is your choice. It is certified for both, industrial and home composting and can be used in the manufacture of completely compostable packaging. PLANTIC™ is ideal for MAP packaging and paper packaging solutions for dry goods.

Hygiene & medical

Kuraray’s elastomers ensure softness, skin-friendliness, and process reliability – for hygiene-critical uses from diapers to medical tubing.

Elastomers maintain their shape even when twisted and stretched while offering excellent dimensional stability and tight tolerances. They offer softness, comfort, fit, strength, protection and, of course, sustainability. That’s exactly what’s expected from today’s absorbent and hygiene products.

Are you a diaper manufacturer challenged to enhance product performance and manufacturing efficiency? We are here to help you develop the diapers of tomorrow! SEPTON™ F- series helps reduce odor and enhance comfort with soft feeling elasticity.

Medical grades of SEPTON™ and HYBRAR™ have excellent sterilization properties, which are critical in a medical environment. They meet the high purity demands of this industry. Their flexibility and stability make them an excellent choice for medical tubing of all kinds.

Is your job to develop infusion bags without PVC or plasticizers plus improved impact resistance? Then we have a 1-step solution for you: dry-blending HYBRAR™ and/or SEPTON™ plus PP for medical film molding.

The mass balance approach plays a vital role in Kuraray’s journey to advance sustainable solutions. Kuraray uses this approach as an immediate and practical step forward, to help reduce the use of fossil carbon across the value chain.

Mass balancing enables the production of chemical products with consistent quality and properties from different raw material sources within the same production process. Kuraray's comprehensive mass balance approach includes working with the independent certification system ISCC PLUS.

Its ISCC PLUS-certified products provide differentiation opportunities for customers, such as the conservation of fossil resources. Kuraray continuously expands its range of ISCC PLUS-certified products. At K 2025, Kuraray will introduce ISCC PLUS grades for the following products:

• SEPTON™

• HYBRAR™

• KURARAY LIQUID RUBBER

• EVAL™ EVOH

• KURARAY POVAL™

• ELVANOL™

• EXCEVAL™

• PARAPET™

• MOWITAL®

   

Kuraray works closely with customers to develop applications that meet regulatory demands, support sustainability, and match user-specific performance and processing needs. “The most impactful solutions don’t happen in isolation – they emerge from close partnerships,” says Dr. Matthias Gutweiler, managing director of Kuraray Europe GmbH. “Our customers bring the challenges – we bring expertise, material science and an open mindset. Together we create sustainable solutions that make a difference.”

More and more of Kuraray’s materials are ISCC PLUS certified, offering a sustainable alternative without compromising on quality or functionality.

Image credits: Kuraray