BASF supplies Asahi Kasei’s ROICA with biomass balanced tetrahydrofuran

• ROICA™ to produce more sustainable stretch fibers for sportswear and other textiles
  

• ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei aims to achieve CO2 reduction of about 50% by using renewable energy plus BASF’s THF BMB1
  

• Accelerate renewable feedstock use in the textile value chain to support increasing global demand for more sustainable textile products
  

ROICA™ supplies its mass balance (MB) stretch fiber as an option for most of its portfolio products. The brand is making its debut in the market with MB stretch fibers and has already initiated discussions with several apparel manufacturers.

BASF’s THF BMB is recognized for its significant reduction in product carbon footprint compared to its standard grade of THF products. This is achieved by replacing a certain amount of fossil raw materials in the production with renewable feedstock in its Verbund setup. According to Asahi Kasei, utilizing BASF’s THF BMB can lead to an approximately 25% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to its existing products. Additionally, by introducing its own mass balance approach and renewable energy in the production, Asahi Kasei aims to further reduce CO2 emissions of its products by approximately 25%, resulting in a total reduction of CO2 emissions by approximately 50% compared to Asahi Kasei’s existing products.1 Without the need of large investments or changes to the product’s formulation, BASF’s THF BMB drop-in solution3 ensures identical quality and properties as the standard product.

Choon Nga Phua, Director, Business Management Diols & Derivatives, Intermediates Asia Pacific, BASF, said, “We are excited about the progress we have made in our sustainability partnership with Asahi Kasei. We see a growing trend in the adoption of more sustainable raw materials in the global apparel market. As a pioneer in the development of the biomass balance approach, we will support our customers in accelerating the transition to a lower-carbon, circular bio-economy and help consumers make informed purchasing decisions about more sustainable products, thereby fashioning a more sustainable textile value chain.”

“As one of the global leaders in the development and manufacturing of innovative materials, we view this as another step in our efforts to bring our business pillar of originality and sustainability together,” said Takehiro Kamiyama, Senior Executive Manager of ROICA Division, Life Innovation SBU, Asahi Kasei.

THF is a colorless, water-miscible liquid with an ether-like odor. In this case, THF is used to produce polytetrahydrofuran (PolyTHF®), which is a raw material for the production of highly elastic spandex and elastane fibers. Furthermore, THF serves as an organic solvent with intermediate polarity for organic substances and is used as a reaction medium or starting material for various syntheses.

Asahi Kasei’s ROICA™ mass balance grade sustainable stretch fibers are powered by BASF’s THF BMB.

1) Pursuant to Asahi Kasei, the reduction percentage is calculated using the average carbon footprint calculated for all ROICA™ product result in fiscal 2019 (calculated in accordance with ISO 14067: raw materials for petrol-derived raw materials and electric power from Japanese power companies) and the carbon footprint value calculated using the mass balance approach using renewable energy certificates with some raw materials being biomass raw materials. The former is the denominator while the latter is numerator. The calculated value assumes the carbon footprint from the collection of raw materials to the shipment of products from Asahi Kasei’s plant.

The emission intensity (CO2 emissions per activity), the source of the calculated value by Asahi Kasei, is cited from fiscal 2019 results for scope 1 (raw materials) and scope 2 (electric power and steam), and from IDEA ver. 2.3 provided by the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization and information from some suppliers for category 1 of scope 3 (raw materials/one company).

In accordance with ISO 14067, the calculated value by Asahi Kasei deducts the CO2 absorbed by biomass during its growth.

The calculated value by Asahi Kasei is based on the currently available data and is not a guaranteed value. Please understand that the calculated value may change depending on, for example, the improvement or upgrade of a process or technology or the revision of raw materials data or related laws.

Claim made by Asahi Kasei at their own responsibility. BASF does not verify this nor does BASF endorse or bear responsibility for this.

2) For a biomass balanced product, BASF replaces 100% of the fossil raw materials which are normally needed to produce the product with renewable feedstock in its Verbund production set-up. The renewable carbon content cannot be physically identified in the final product, but the renewable share is fully attributed to it. This chain of custody methodology is called biomass balance. To ensure transparency, compliance with recognized mass balance standards, such as REDcert2, is independently certified for each biomass balanced product of BASF. BASF’s THF BMB is certified by REDcert2.

REDcert2 is a standard for the use of sustainable biomass as raw material in the chemical industry. Regarding BASF's biomass balance approach, certification according to the standard confirms that the biomass used is more sustainable and has been fed into the production Verbund in the required amount. It also confirms that the sustainable biomass has been correctly attributed to the corresponding sales products. The certifications are awarded on the basis of on-site audits conducted by independent auditors.

3) Drop-in solutions refer to the use of biomass balanced raw materials that are identical in quality and properties to the standard fossil-based products. Customers can use them without having to adapt their existing manufacturing processes.