BioAmber collaborates with Faurecia and Mitsubishi Chemical for automotive plastics development

US biomaterial company BioAmber, will be joining a Faurecia-Mitsubishi Chemical partnership by supplying biobased succinic acid for the production of automotive plastics.

France-based Faurecia has been conducting research into bioplastics derived from 100% natural materials since 2006 and has now signed an exclusive industrial partnership agreement with Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation to co-develop bioplastics designed for mass production for use in automotive interiors.

The joint development will start by modifying Mitsubishi Chemical's patented biomass-derived poly-butylene succinate (PBS) and ultimately producing from 100% bio sources. BioAmber will be the supplier of bio-based succinic acid according to the partnership.

Under the terms of the agreement, Faurecia will hold exclusive rights to automotive applications of the specific polymers jointly developed under this project.

Nicolas Pechnyk, Vice President Engineering for Faurecia Interior Systems, explains, "The strategic agreement with Mitsubishi Chemical will make Faurecia the first automotive equipment supplier to mass produce a 100% bio-based plastic. We are confident about the future of this technology as a substitute for petroleum-based plastic components; indeed, it is one of the main thrusts of our strategic initiative 'bio-attitude'."