ECORISE™ PLA Spunbond Nonwoven Selected for Use in Yonex Tennis Racquet Packaging

The ECORISE™ PLA spunbond nonwoven developed by Mitsui Chemicals Asahi Life Materials Co., Ltd. (Tokyo; President: YANASE Koichi) has been adopted as a packaging material for tennis racquets sold by sporting goods manufacturer Yonex Co., Ltd. (Tokyo; President: Alyssa YONEYAMA).

ECORISE™ will be used for the packaging of tennis racquets slated for a rolling global launch starting February 2024^*1.

Yonex is pursuing eco-friendly production as a part of its sustainability efforts, which is seeing the company look to minimize packaging for all sorts of products while keeping a close eye on any impacts on transportation times and quality assurance. For this latest initiative, Yonex is discontinuing the nylon cases it has previously used for its tennis racquets in favor of packaging that uses ECORISE™. This will reduce the use of materials made primarily from petroleum-derived plastic.

The use of embossing technology for the Yonex logo, and of ultrasonic welding technology for the production of the nonwoven bags, has also facilitated the creation of eco-friendly packaging that forgoes the use of pigments and adhesives.

*1 Not applicable for all products and regions.

ECORISE™ is a spunbond nonwoven made primarily from polylactic acid (PLA), a plant-derived biodegradable plastic. ECORISE™ is able to decompose and be composted under certain conditions, and meets standards*2 laid out by a number of domestic and foreign certification bodies, including the U.S.-based BPI, Austrian-based TÜV AUSTRIA (via its certification center in Belgium) and Japanese-based JBPA. This has seen the material receive certifications such as BiodegradablePla and BiomassPla.
The ability to bestow ECORISE™ with diverse properties – including high uniformity, breathability, flexibility and press molding compatibility – has seen it meet with high praise in a wide range of applications, from food packaging materials used in tea and coffee filters through to agricultural and industrial materials.

• Find out more about ECORISE™ on the dedicated webpage here.

*2 BPI Certification: A biodegradability certification system managed by the U.S.-based Biodegradable Products Institute

OK compost: A biodegradable plastic certification scheme managed by the Belgian-based certification center of Austrian testing, inspection and certification company TÜV AUSTRIA

BiodegradablePla (registration number 1174): A certification scheme managed by the Japan BioPlastics Association

BiomassPla (registration number 603): A certification scheme managed by the Japan BioPlastics Association

Established in October 2023 following a joint incorporation-type demerger for the nonwovens businesses of Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. and Asahi Kasei Corporation, this new JV began business in the same month, and aims to be a leader in the global nonwovens market as it capitalizes on its excellent technological strength to respond to social needs.

By combining the technologies and expertise of its two parent companies – which have been providing unique products since the early 1970s across a wide range of fields spanning hygiene materials through to industrial materials and lifestyle materials – this new JV aims to maximize its synergies. The company intends to use nonwovens products to offer solutions essential to everyday life, helping in turn to solve social issues and increase people’s quality of life.

Example products

Eco-friendly polypropylene nonwoven with hollow fibers AIRYFA™

Thermoformable polyester spunbond Smash™

Polyester nonwoven with ultrafine fibers layered between spunbond fibers Precisé™

Company overview

Company name:  Mitsui Chemicals Asahi Life Materials Co., Ltd.
Address:  Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, Yaesu Central Tower, 2-2-1, Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Establishment:  October 2, 2023
Representative:  YANASE Koichi
Capital:  500 million yen
Shareholders: Mitsui Chemicals: 60.62% Asahi Kasei: 39.38%

Mitsui Chemicals Asahi Life Materials Co., Ltd. homepage