Evonik partners on Japanese polyurethane foam recycling into polyols and amines

Evonik is launching Lypron®, a rumen-protected lysine solution for ruminant feeding, to complete its amino acid balancing concept for modern livestock production. The company is also partnering with Toyotsu Chemiplas and Sanyo Chemical Industries to develop a recycling model in Japan that converts discarded polyurethane foam into recycled polyols and amines for new polyurethane products. Evonik additionally reports winning the 2026 CPHI Pharma Award for its Self Driving Labs CDMO service.

Key facts

Market context

Polyurethane foam is used in furniture, bedding, automotive seating, insulation and packaging, and its main building blocks are polyols and amines, which are typically made from petrochemical feedstocks. Demand for these intermediates follows construction, transport and consumer durable spending, so foam makers are exposed both to feedstock price swings and to pressure to show lower-carbon sourcing. Recycling schemes that recover discarded foam and convert it back into polyols and amines could give converters a partial alternative to virgin material, which may ease dependence on crude-linked supply over time. Such models usually depend on collection networks, sorting quality and chemical processing economics, so their near-term effect on pricing is generally modest. Still, they can influence how producers and brand owners plan sourcing for polyurethane products. Lysine, by contrast, is an amino acid widely used as a feed additive in livestock nutrition, where protected forms help support animal growth efficiency.

Source: official release on corporate.evonik.com. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.