Wood to design US$40m plastic food packaging plant in Singapore

JAPANESE chemicals manufacturer Kuraray has appointed Wood to design a packaging production plant for its fully recyclable plastic in a deal worth US$40m.

Wood will carry out the front-end engineering and design (FEED) study of the facility on Singapore’s Jurong Island, home to more than 100 petrochemical sites. It will be followed by engineering, procurement, and construction and management (EPCM) services.

Kuraray will use the plant to expand its production of its ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer, called EVAL, which it developed in 1972.

Giuseppe Zuccaro, president of process and chemicals at Wood, said: “This project will not only reduce food waste but increase the life of more sustainable plastics, ensuring materials are in use longer, reducing their environmental impact.”

EVAL development

EVOH is widely used for food packaging as it has a high resistance to solvents that could permeate the material, and a high gas barrier against oxygen and CO2, which helps with extending the shelf life of food.

Kuraray says its EVAL packaging has a lower oxygen transmission rate than nylon, polyester, and low-density polyethylene (LDPE), making it better for preventing food spoilage.

It also says the material can be recycled using traditional methods that “will not disrupt polyolefin recycling streams”.

Kuraray has invested US$410m in the development of the Jurong plant, which it expects to have a front-end processing capacity of 36,000 t/y of EVAL resin.

Tomoyuki Watanabe, president of Kuraray’s vinyl acetate resin company and vinyl acetate film company, said: “EVAL is an important product for Kuraray, showing strong growth triggered by increasing demand in emerging economies, increasing demand for food loss reduction, and increasing demand in the transition to a circular economy.”

Kuraray expects the plant to begin operation in 2026.