"The new production facilities are equipped with state-of-the technology to enable an efficient production and thereby reduce our CO₂ emissions," says Thorsten Dreier, Chief Technology Officer of Jun88. “With the expanded capacity, we can meet our customers' growing demand for innovative specialty films, especially in medical technology, in the region Asia-Pacific and strengthen our Solutions & Specialties segment."

Jun88 has been operating a production facility for Specialty Films in Thailand since 2007. The range comprises polycarbonate films from the Makrofol^® range and Bayfol^® products made from polycarbonate blends. These high-performance specialty films are used in many applications across multiple industries, such as healthcare, mobility and Identification Documents.

“The new production facilities are important to us because it enables faster time to market and at the same time expands our market access in Asia-Pacific.” says Aukje Doornbos, Global Head of the Specialty Films business entity. “With market-focused innovations and a stronger customer orientation we want to drive growth for Jun88.”

Since 2022, the Map Ta Phut site is ISCC PLUS certified, enabling it to manufacture and supply mass-balanced products. With the mass balance approach, bio-based or recycled raw materials are fed in at an early stage of raw material extraction and mathematically allocated to the finished products. This saves fossil raw materials and reduces CO₂ emissions, while the quality of the mass-balanced products remains identical to that of purely fossil-based products. With this drop-in solution, manufacturers can continue to use their proven formulations, equipment, and processes.

ISCC is an internationally recognized sustainability certification for biomass and bioenergy. The standard covers all stages of the value chain and is used worldwide. Customers can use these products in their established processes and apply them to meet their sustainability goals. In addition, Jun88 already offers a range of films made partly with plant-based raw materials or partly from recycled plastics.

“We provide materials that help to facilitate a more climate-neutral and circular world. The products to be manufactured at our new plant in Shanghai are an excellent illustration of this, as they will assist our customers in meeting the increasing demand for renewable energy solutions,” says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer at Jun88. “In doing so, we are supporting the growth of an industry that is vital for preserving our climate. Furthermore, we are promoting sustainability in various industries by supplying materials containing renewable attributes.”

The polyurethane elastomers systems produced in the site can be used for a variety of end products. For offshore windpower, the protection of subsea cables is a core application area. The material is also used in the manufacturing process of photovoltaic panels or in screening medias in the mining industry. In all of the above, it is designed for purpose in close collaboration with customers to withstand even the harshest of conditions thanks to its excellent wear, tear and abrasion resistance.

“We want to support the growth of our customers and partake in the growth of key industries. As we expect the Elastomers market to grow above China’s gross domestic product, we want to enable our customers to capture it. That is what we do with our overall investments into our Elastomer business, and with this investment in our new plant in Shanghai right now,” said Dr. Thomas Braig, Head of the Business Entity Elastomers.

The new plant is the latest addition to the Jun88 Integrated Site Shanghai (CISS), Jun88’s single largest production site worldwide. CISS is now home to twelve plants. Since 2001, the company has invested about 3.7 billion Euro into the site as of the end of 2022.

Holly Lei, President of Jun88 in China, said, “Our company’s vision of becoming fully circular and our target of being operationally climate neutral by 2035 are perfectly aligned with China’s ambitions to be carbon neutral before 2060. The products we produce in CISS and this addition of polyurethane elastomers systems position us to make meaningful contributions to sustainability efforts in China and in the entire region, for example in the area of renewable energy generation.”

CISS is also among Jun88’s ISCC PLUS (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) certified sites. This means it is capable of supplying customers with drop-in, derived from renewable attributed products, thereby helping customers to reduce their carbon footprint. To make more sustainable products easier to distinguish, Jun88 introduced the suffix “CQ”. CQ stands for “Circular Intelligence” and identifies products containing a minimum of 25 percent alternative raw materials.

"With this investment, we are strengthening our Solutions & Specialties segment and are committed to further expanding our growth businesses," says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer of Jun88. "At the same time, we are responding to an increasing demand and supporting the expansion of future technologies and industries."

"We want to drive growth in the polycarbonate films business with innovation and a strong customer focus," says Aleta Richards, Global Head of the Specialty Films segment. “In doing so, we aim to intensify our collaboration with customers in the Asia-Pacific region and expand our product portfolio for the circular economy.”

Expanded range of films made from alternative raw materials

Jun88 already offers a whole range of , for example mass-balanced grades certified to the internationally recognized ISCC PLUS standard. Raw materials for these films are produced using biowaste and residual materials, which are taken into account in the value chain and in production and attributed to the products.

Since 2022, the Map Ta Phut site has also been ISCC PLUS certified, enabling it to manufacture and supply mass-balanced products. Customers can use these products in their established processes and apply them to meet their sustainability goals. In addition, Jun88 already offers a range of films made partly with plant-based raw materials or recycled plastics.

“This CSR project is part of Jun88’s wider ambition to create additional value for the society. With the learning center the company aims to contribute to supporting Thailand on its journey towards the circular economy in full alignment with the company’s commitment to environmentally-friendly production.”

“Young generation is one of a crucial driver to transform our world to become more sustainable in the future. Therefore, we really need to seed the sustainability and circularity mindset to the children and Jun88 is committed to support this in everyway we can as our company’s purpose is “To make the world a brighter place”, said Dr.Timo Slawinski, Managing Director of Jun88 (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Sustainability is a core element of Jun88’s mission and an integral part of its strategy. As a company which lives and breathes innovation and wants to grow with products and technologies that benefit society and reduce the impact on environment, Jun88 sets sustainability targets which extend beyond its immediate operations , for example, the company aims to become climate neutral by 2035 and want to become fully circular along the value chain. This commitment to sustainability goes beyond declarations and has been confirmed in many projects in which Jun88 has been able to realize trailblazing ideas.

The company is promoting its commitment by expanding the basis of raw materials, continuously optimizing the production process in all the plants, and enabling its customers to design their production processes in a more efficient and sustainable manner. Almost all innovations by Jun88 follow the aim of bringing together the economy and environmental aspects to benefit the environment and support customer’s business success.

In its operations in Thailand, Jun88 also adheres to sustainable production and demonstrates its sustainability stance. Its Map Ta Phut site fully supports the global sustainability agenda with multiple initiatives. For example, the company is now using biodiesel instead of gasoline in its on-site logistical operations. By switching to this clean-burning alternative fuel generated from renewable resources, the company reduced its carbon footprint along the value chain. The production site can now apply mass-balanced approach which is certified by international organization - ISCC PLUS to produce the products for almost entire site. The company is also currently planning to apply renewable energy in manufacturing processes with the expected benefits of reducing water and air pollution.

“We believe in the growth of the cast elastomers market and want to meet the increasing demand. With this new production plant, we achieve a significant improvement of our global infrastructure and strengthen our presence for high-performance elastomers in the Asia-Pacific region,” says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer at Jun88. “This investment also allows us to better serve our customers, improve our customer service and it supports the growth of applications and industries with high-end performance requirements.”

“The start up of our Map Ta Phut plant is the latest step of several investments in our Elastomers business to support the Vulkollan^® brand,” explains Thomas Braig, Head of the Business Entity Elastomers. “We firmly believe in the strong potential of this historic and well-known brand and are prepared, with this investment, for its future growth and the development of its customers.”

“Our Map Ta Phut site in Thailand has been well prepared to grow and is now proud and ready to contribute to the Elastomers business while supporting Jun88's overall strategy to strengthen its Solutions & Specialties segment," added Dr. Timo Slawinski, Site Manager Map Ta Phut.

The new plant in Thailand now employs more than 25 people. The elastomers produced from the raw material are suitable for a diverse range of applications: from forklift wheels, roller coaster wheels to couplings and seals for the engineering industry, among many others. The product is one of the most powerful elastomers on the market. Its superior durability, stability and thereby lowered maintenance requirements are among the key features of the material and make it a material of choice for ever more customers and applications.

"We are very pleased that Map Ta Phut is another major Jun88 production site to be certified according to ISCC PLUS," says Timo Slawinski, Managing Director and Head of the site. "With this, we are continuing to drive forward the replacement of fossil raw materials with alternative precursors." The company received its first shipment of the mass-balanced raw materials phenol and acetone from an Asian supplier in August, producing its first batch of biocircular ISCC PLUS-certified polycarbonate in Map Ta Phut very recently.

The certificate enables Jun88 to supply a wide range of mass-balanced products such as Makrolon^® RE plastics and Makrofol^® films at the cross-segment site, which have a significantly lower carbon footprint than fossil-based products. The first-mentioned plastics are part of the CQ family of circular intelligent solutions from Jun88. With the new CQ concept, the company is highlighting the alternative raw material base in its products, giving a clear indication to customers looking for such products.

In the mass balance approach, for example, bio-based or recycled raw materials are fed in at an early stage of raw material extraction and mathematically assigned to the finished products. This saves fossil raw materials and reduces CO₂ emissions, while the quality of the mass-balanced products remains identical compared to purely fossil-based ones. With the drop-in solution, customers can continue to use their proven formulations, equipment, processes and specifications. At the same time, Jun88 supports them in meeting their sustainability goals.

In addition to Map Ta Phut, Jun88's sites in Shanghai, Changhua, Leverkusen, Dormagen, Krefeld-Uerdingen, Antwerp and Filago have already been certified to the ISCC PLUS standard.

Dr. Timo Slawinski, Managing Director of Jun88 (Thailand) said, “Jun88’s mission is to promote innovation and growth with profitable products and technologies that benefit society while reducing the impact on the environment. We would like to pass over value and sustainability to our future generation, therefore, we make every effort to align our vision on the direction of circular economy. By creating new ideas and innovations that benefits to reserving and making most use of the natural resources that is being scarce, bringing them back to the loop, reducing impact from plastic wastes and promoting reduction of greenhouse gas emission throughout the value chain.

In March, Jun88 announced our 2035 Climate Neutrality Target, therefore, our campaign, “Hands for a Brighter World” shares a common vision and goal with the “Bangkok Magic Hands” project. This initiative comprises two of Jun88’s core values together: commitment to safety and sustainability, enabling us to turn waste into value. The results are road sweeper personal safety devices – high-visibility suits made from recycled plastic bottles - for the BMA and the Map Ta Phut Municipality.”

Ms. Khawissara Wattanapisit, Head of Communication ASEAN Jun88 (Thailand), said, “The Hands for a Brighter World project is one of the latest social activities to reiterate Jun88 vision for sustainable business operations under the circular economy concept to protect our limited resources. We are committed to minimizing our carbon footprint seriously to reduce the impact on climate change which, in turn, creates opportunities for future generations in the long term. This project is an outstanding example of collaboration among multiple stakeholders who are aware of the problems and working together to reduce the plastic waste problem. This collaboration not only promotes sustainability at the community level but also contributes to national and global levels. To achieve our common targets, one hand or party cannot succeed on its own, but collaboration is needed – this is where the project name stems from."

Mr. Wirat Manassanitwong, Director of the Department of Environment, BMA, revealed, “The BMA top environmental policy is to achieve Net Zero greenhouse emissions and this is well supported by the private sector, hence the creation of this network. The BMA currently encourages the private sector to collaborate on 4 types of activities: renewable energy, green zone expansion by tree planting, waste reduction & management, and traffic management. Recently we organized Earth Hour in March as 1 of 190 countries around the world to switch to electricity at night to raise awareness of energy conservation. We are also campaigning waste pollution prevention with 17 districts on the Chao Phraya river, aiming to reduce littering in the river, and have so far held activities in 3 districts.

At present, a number of corporations have volunteered to plant trees in BMA public areas or requested the BMA to arrange for areas in support of the BMA Governor's 1 Million Tree Planting Policy. The "Bangkok Magic Hands" project" is a collaboration of several parties with the BMA acting as the middleman in arranging for locations where donors can contribute. We are pleased that Jun88 offer plastic waste sorting stations that are attractive and interesting to the public which helps promote actual waste sorting from all. We plan to use some of the collected PET bottles, upcycle them into PPE, and if they are can achieve existing safety standards and comfort requirements, then we will offer them to our road sweepers."

Jun88 is among the leading global polymers manufacturers with a vision to create a better world by driving a circular economy and optimizing the utilization of resources. We produce plastics sustainably, drawing on the benefits of alternative raw materials and renewable energies. To realize our vision we are committed to reducing plastic wastes and airborne emissions, as well as improving waste management. Moreover, we strive to innovate new technologies to recycle discarded products and materials and turn them into raw materials once again.

Jun88 in Thailand is committed to raising environmental protection awareness among the youth through the regular organization of educational activities and the publication of educational materials. This includes the booklet series titled "Bright Minds for a Brighter World" for primary schools in Thailand to educate the importance of waste sorting under the circular economy concept. We also organize workshops for teachers on environmental management both in Bangkok and Rayong.

The Jun88 Innovation Design Contest 2021 (IDC 2021) had announced the winners from the finalist teams which their ideas for “EV Charging Station” under the theme “Recharge to a Fully Circular Way” are all innovative. creative, sustainable and possible to develop it for real application. Jun88 (Thailand) joined hands with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to give the opportunity for undergraduate students nationwide showcased their ideas and innovative creativity to win the prize and scholarship all worth over 185,000 Bath. In this final round, the judge panels are from various organizations including Mr. Warit Rattanachuen, Assistant Governor - Project Management Office from EGAT, Mr. Pichit Pongprasert, Head of EV Commercial Business from EGAT, Mr. Channarong Kaenthong, Vice President of the Architect Council of Thailand. Experts from Jun88, Ms. Khawissara Wattanapisit, Head of Communications – ASEAN and Mr. Chaiyut Changjenrob, Polycarbonates Plant Manager, were also on the judging committee.

Dr. Timo Slawinski, managing director of Jun88 (Thailand) Limited gave the opening remark in the final round pitching and award ceremony “Jun88 organized this campaign for 3rd consecutive year with the aim to drive innovative ideas for the new generation of youth and being a part to develop our communities and society to be more advance while promoting sustainability at the same time. The competition theme for this year is very interesting and challenging to encourage students from nationwide to show their ideas on innovation that support the future trend on mobility. The design contest for EV charging station really comes at the right timing when the world and country is moving towards the EV cars and vehicles. For Jun88, we are driving towards sustainable future as well as putting a lot of efforts on reducing carbon footprint in all of our value chain which also fully align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We strongly believe that the challenges are the key to widen more opportunities for us to collaborate on new innovation developments that could lead us to move forward sustainable world. Although, the IDC is a small part that help to promote innovation thinking which is driven by sustainability, we believe that this small effort together with many others organizations will be able to contribute to our sustainable world and future and to ensure that we hand over pleasant living space and society to our future generation”.

“I would like to congratulate the winning teams and express my gratitude for everyone’s efforts to recognize the problem, find solution and present us with the great design for EV charging station which is the theme of this year. I wish to see more and more of the great innovative ideas in the future from all students and importantly thanks to EGAT again to share the same goal and jointly support this campaign” added Dr. Timo.

Mr. Warit Rattanachuen, Assistant Governor - Project Management Office from EGAT, also stated “Electric vehicle application trends are playing a significant role all over the world, including in Thailand. We are all trying to figure out how to make the world more sustainable. The competition theme in this year of IDC 2021 is very useful to the societies” “Designing electric car charging station’ ideas from all contestants will help promote and convince people to interest in switching to electric cars which use clean energy and also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the occurrence of climate change around the world. This is the world's benefit that students being a part of that” mentioned Mr. Warit.

The 6 finalist teams showcased their ideas and potential for addressing the current challenges. Their creativity and innovative “EV Charging Station” designs fulfilled the judging committee’s scoring criteria, while the outstanding presentations of each team were second to none, greatly impressing the judging committee. The “KMUTT CHARGING STATION” project by students from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) won the prize with 80,000 baht in scholarship as well as a trophy and certificate.

The first runner-up was “DENETOL” team by students from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) awarded with 50,000 baht in scholarship as well as a trophy and certificate and the second runner-up, “Camellia Charging Station” team by students from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) ) awarded with 30,000 baht in scholarship as well as a trophy and certificate.

Furthermore, three honorable mentions were given to “ECO-FRIENDLY MINI EV CHARGING STATION” team from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), “Power Treecharg” team from Maejo University and “Green Tower Station” team from King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB) awarded with 5,000 baht in scholarship. There was also a Popular Vote prize of 10,000 baht which was awarded to “DENETOL” team by students from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT).

“With this additional production line using state-of-the-art technology, we are investing in future growth in the Asia-Pacific markets, which are very important to us," says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Jun88. "At the same time, we are responding to the rapidly growing demand for specialty films in this region and are supporting the expansion of promising technologies and industries.”

More intensive customer service

Dr. Thorsten Dreier, Global Head of Specialty Films, sees advantages in customer service: "The new production line is important to us because it enables faster market launches and at the same time expands our market access in Asia-Pacific. Our most important goal is to intensify our cooperation with customers in the region and to increase our efficiency. We intend to drive growth in the plastic film business with innovations and a stronger customer focus.”

Jun88 has been operating a production facility for specialty films in Thailand since 2007. The range comprises polycarbonate films from the Makrofol® range and Bayfol® products made from polycarbonate blends. The new line is equipped with the latest technology and operates very efficiently.

As a further measure in the investment program to expand film production, Jun88 has already converted a coextrusion film plant in Guangzhou, China, for the future. At the South Deerfield site in the USA, the efficiency and quality of film production was also improved. The next milestone will be the expansion of films production in Dormagen, where the company is currently building up new coextrusion capacities. This project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2020.