Sumitomo Chemical to Build New Research Facility in Chiba - Accelerating the development of technologies and materials that contribute to resolving societal issues -

Jun. 3, 2021

Sumitomo Chemical has decided to build a new research facility at its Chiba site (Sodegaura City, Chiba, Japan), which will serve as its center for the development of innovative materials and new technologies for reducing environmental impact. The facility is scheduled to come into operation in March 2024. The Company will also consolidate its existing facilities and shift some of its related resources from other sites to this new research facility in order to strengthen its research and development capabilities at the Chiba site and accelerate the development of new technologies and materials that contribute to resolving societal issues.

Contribution to reducing environmental impact is one of the material issues that the Sumitomo Chemical Group has determined to address as management priorities. In order to achieve this, in April 2020 the Company established the Technological Development Group of Environmental Initiatives at its Petrochemicals Research Laboratory in the Chiba site, where the Company is advancing the development of technologies for the carbon cycle and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, including chemical recycling technology. In addition, in April 2021, the Business Development Office for a Circular System for Plastics was formed to work to create businesses based on its efforts toward building a circular system for plastics.

The move toward carbon neutrality is increasingly gaining momentum in many countries and regions around the world. In view of this global trend, Sumitomo Chemical has been taking a series of measures for enhancing the research and development capabilities at its Chiba site, including this decision to launch the new research facility, and thereby working to transform the research complex in the area into its R&D center for innovative materials and new technologies for reducing environmental impact. The complex boasts advanced technologies related to polymer design, catalysts, processes, compounds and material and product processing, as well as scale-up facilities for validation trials. By building the new research facility and bringing together its wide variety of human resources, knowledge and technology, the Company will establish a system that will enable all these resources to be fully utilized, and strive to speed up the development of break-through innovations—in particular, technologies for reducing environmental impact and advanced polymeric materials for next-generation mobility technology and 5G. Meanwhile, the design of the new research facility will take into consideration the impact on the surrounding environment and energy conservation and also features spaces that will help to promote interaction among researchers and stimulate creative product development.

The Sumitomo Chemical Group is committed to contributing to society through its business activities, as set out in its Business Philosophy. Going forward, the Company will continue to create both economic value and social value in an integrated manner, achieve sustained growth and contribute to building a sustainable society.

Overview of the new research facility

Address	2-1, Kitasode, Sodegaura City, Chiba, Japan
Scale	Six floors above ground
Total floor area	Approximately 19,000m2
Start of operations	March 2024
Major design features considering energy saving and environmental friendliness	Use of renewable energy (solar power generation and use) Optimally controlled airflow for laboratory facilities Atrium and skylights for natural ventilation and lighting Reduction of air-conditioning load by outer skin insulation reinforcement Use of recycled materials

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