Nouryon strengthens sustainable innovation with new Shanghai technology centre
The centre also acts as a catalyst application hub focusing on emission control and the petrochemical industries.
CHINA – Nouryon has officially opened its newest innovation centre in Shanghai, China, marking a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to localised innovation, customer co-development, and sustainable growth across China and the broader Asia Pacific region.
This facility more than doubles the space of Nouryon’s previous Shanghai facility, substantially enhancing its technical capabilities with new investments in advanced testing and analytical equipment.
The innovation centre supports high-growth sectors, including agriculture, electronics, construction, and pharmaceuticals, along with a specific focus on the personal care sector through a dedicated customer experience centre.
The Shanghai centre is the 14th innovation hub within Nouryon’s global innovation network. It facilitates rapid prototyping, performance testing, and the development of market-tailored solutions specifically designed for Chinese industries.
Among its features are eight specialised laboratories dedicated to industry-leading product portfolios, including Expancel® thermoplastic microspheres for lightweight plastics, Kromasil® chromatography media for pharmaceutical purification, Levasil® colloidal silica for catalyst technologies, and Bermocoll® cellulose ethers used in paints and coatings.
A standout feature of the facility is its customer experience centre dedicated to Nouryon’s Personal Care business, which offers a collaborative environment where customers participate in workshops, live demonstrations, and formulation development.
This space allows Nouryon to showcase product performance with real-world applications, accelerating the co-creation of tailored, market-ready personal care solutions that align with local consumer preferences.
According to Nouryon, each laboratory within the centre is geared toward addressing specific market needs such as advanced cosmetic formulation for skin, sun, hair, and colour care, solutions for household and industrial applications, formulation of agrochemicals, optimization of water-based paints and coatings, and support for sectors like batteries, electronics, natural fibres, and mining.
Beyond innovation for commercial success, this centre supports Nouryon’s sustainability ambitions.
It accelerates the development of eco-friendly technologies, including low-volatile organic compound (VOC) coatings, fully biobased chelates, biopolymer-based personal care products, and more sustainable microspheres.
Complementing this new centre, Nouryon also announced plans to open an organic peroxides innovation centre in Tianjin in 2026, aimed at enhancing polymer application capabilities and further boosting product development and customer support in China.
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