Outlook 2024: Expanded product line to meet growing applications

The regulatory environment and policy being proposed and passed at the UN level down to the Country and State level in the United States will have to be the most impactful trends that will shape 2024 and beyond, according to Max Senechal, Chief Commercial Officer and Senior Vice President of CJ Biomaterials.  Other trends that will have an impact include the continuing drive by leading brands to upgrade the sustainability of their products and associated packaging system, and the continuous arrival of new producers and products in the market that are adding new tools in the toolbox to develop and commercialize more competitive sustainable solutions.

“In response to these trends, CJ Biomaterials is beefing up our government affairs capabilities and expertise, so that we can be an active participant in shaping and implementing these new regulations. We are also teaming up with brands and their suppliers to help them imagine, develop, and implement new, more sustainable solutions that leverage new products and technologies,” Mr. Senechal explains.

CJ Biomaterials is also forming strategic partnerships with other biomaterial manufacturers to create solutions that combine the best features of these materials, providing solutions that would not have been possible before.

The company has embarked on expanding its product portfolio for emerging applications. “In 2024, we plan to add a new grade of semi-crystalline PHA (scPHA) to our portfolio of products, which already includes an amorphous PHA (aPHA). This will allow us to broaden the range of applications in which we can work with our customers, particularly the ones where functional biodegradation is critical,” according to Mr. Senechal. Further, the addition of the new scPHA will allow CJ Biomaterials to open up the range of PHA compounds it offers the market by enabling it to combine its two main PHAs in varying proportions and accommodate the specific technical and functional requirements of applications.

Capacity expansion is also in the agenda for 2024 as CJ Biomaterials starts production of the scPHA. The expansion is ongoing at the company’s current facility of Pasuruan, Indonesia. “We are also expanding our resources and capabilities to cover the growing demand for our products, and to cover the increased breadth of our offering as we expand our product portfolio,” Mr. Senechal adds.