Sustainable Products Management
GC has started developing a mechanism for sustainable product management by determining product evaluation and classification criteria covering five important characteristics, namely Greenhouse Gas Emission, Sustainable Raw Materials, Product Circularity and Design, Energy Management, and Hazardous Materials and Substances. GC also encourages sustainable product development through innovation processes to create business value in response to market demands and promote long-term sustainable development.
GC has been steadily increasing the share of its portfolio dedicated to sustainable products through a deliberate, multi-year capital allocation strategy. Under its Low Carbon Growth pillar, GC aims to raise revenue from sustainable products to 20-30% of total revenue by 2030, an objective the company explicitly links to restructuring the business and accelerating R&D and innovation in new sustainable products. This investment direction underpins a series of concrete capital projects across GC’s Bio and Circularity portfolio.
GC holds an equity stake in ENVICCO, a joint venture with ALPLA operating Southeast Asia’s largest integrated plastic recycling line at 45,000 tons per year of capacity. GC has expanded its investment in NatureWorks to build a second polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastics plant at the Nakhonsawan Biocomplex (75,000 tons/year of capacity); and developed Thailand’s first commercial Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production through an upgraded, integrated biorefinery, alongside continued expansion capital for allnex’s low-carbon industrial coatings business. GC’s published group-level 5-year CAPEX plan (2026-2030) is presented by major project (Olefins Feedstock Security Enhancement, allnex expansion) rather than broken out specifically by sustainable-product category but the disclosed portfolio investments above illustrate the scale and direction of capital being committed to sustainable products and services.
GC channels R&D spending specifically toward sustainable product innovation as part of its Low Carbon Growth strategy. The company’s innovation management strategy is organized around four focus areas, including Capability for Diversified Products, which explicitly targets sustainable product development, increased by-product value, and digital integration to shorten time-to-market for new sustainable solutions. This is supported structurally by GC’s Innovation Hub, which centralizes R&D collaboration across the organization, and by Corporate Venture Capital investment through GC Ventures and GC Ventures America, which gives GC access to external circular-economy and bio-based technology rather than requiring all capability to be built in-house. Recent R&D outcomes include MDOPE (Machine Direction Orientation Polyethylene) film offers clarity, strength, and performance capable of replacing traditional multi-layer films, while helping to reduce waste, enhance production efficiency, and support applications in Mono Material PE packaging (MDOPE//PE) across various categories, such as food and beverage packaging, as well as home and personal care products like shower gels and shampoos.
GC has made direct infrastructure investments to manufacture its sustainable products to consistent, certified standards. ENVICCO’s 45,000-ton-per-year integrated recycling line, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, sources 100% of its feedstock from used plastics collected within Thailand under traceable supplier contracts and GC’s YOUTURN collection platform; the facility has processed a total of 6,483,887,776 kg of plastic waste (PET & HDPE bottles), achieving a total greenhouse gas reduction of 330,372,205 kgCO2e equivalent to the carbon absorption of 34,776,022 big trees. Its PCR PET and PCR HDPE resins, sold under the InnoEco brand, carry food-grade safety certifications from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Thailand’s FDA, and the US FDA, reflecting infrastructure built specifically to meet international product-safety standards for recycled content. In parallel, GC upgraded its existing oil refinery into an integrated biorefinery capable of co-processing used cooking oil into Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and extended NatureWorks’ PLA manufacturing footprint into Thailand to add dedicated bioplastics capacity. allnex has likewise added manufacturing infrastructure in high-growth regions, including a new China hub and expanded capacity in India, alongside a planned new facility at Map Ta Phut positioned as a Southeast Asian specialty hub.
More information: YOUTURN: Turning plastic waste into valuable products
GC develops high-performance chemicals in the paints and coatings segment to meet a wide range of applications—from architectural paints to industrial paints and coatings for sectors such as automotive, furniture, and packaging—as well as specialized products with specific functionalities, with a focus on durability, long service life, and superior performance under diverse operating conditions.
Key trends in high-performance paints and coatings emphasize sustainability, environmental, health and safety considerations, and resource efficiency, alongside energy saving and greater convenience and ease of use (including simplified application). As a result, this product group plays an important role in improving quality of life and supporting sustainable growth for both industry and the environment by enabling “better environment for better living,” helping protect the environment while enhancing comfort and well-being.
GC has developed bio-based plastic resin innovations, including Bio-based Polybutylene Succinate (BioPBS) and Polylactic Acid (PLA), which can be used to replace conventional plastic resins in manufacturing various types of packaging. These materials can be formed into products such as spoons, forks, straws, films, and dry food packaging, as well as coatings for hot and cold beverage paper cups. Importantly, BioPBS packaging is naturally biodegradable through the interaction of heat, moisture, and soil bacteria, allowing it to be disposed of together with organic waste or food scraps. After being buried in soil, the packaging is decomposed by soil microorganisms into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass residue.
GC has developed high-quality recycled plastic resins, including Post-Consumer Recycled Plastics (PCR) such as food-contact grade Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET) and packaging-grade Recycled High-Density Polyethylene (rHDPE), as well as other recycled products. These innovations are based on the concept of responsible resource utilization in accordance with circular economy principles. The recycled plastic resins can be used to replace virgin plastic resins in manufacturing various types of packaging and plastic products, such as food and beverage packaging, bottles, consumer product containers, and industrial packaging.
Carbon Capture and Utilization: CCU
In line with the investment strategy for new businesses under innovation management, GC collaborates with leading universities, research institutes, and startups to develop carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology aimed at reducing GC's carbon footprint and creating new business opportunities. This involves converting captured carbon dioxide (CO2) into high-value products through thermochemical and electrochemical processes, such as converting carbon dioxide into polymers for use as coatings and converting carbon dioxide into chemicals to replace petrochemical-derived chemicals. This technology is expected to have commercial production potential and achieve a reduction of approximately 300,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per year.
Internal training on sustainable design principles for functions developing products
Portfolio Sustainability Assessment (PSA) for Execution
The course aims to equip project leaders and division managers with the practical skills to apply GC's 5 Sustainability Pillars covering hazardous materials, GHG emissions, product circularity, sustainable raw materials, and energy management through a structured rating and benchmarking process, reinforced by a hands-on rPET case exercise. It also introduces the GoSustain digital workflow tool and the 2026 PSA rollout timeline, including Advisory Clinic support sessions.
PSA101: Portfolio Sustainability Assessment
The course aims to build understanding of the WBCSD-based Portfolio Sustainability Assessment (PSA) framework and its five-step methodology for evaluating product sustainability, drawing on practices adopted by more than 30 peer chemical companies. It concludes by connecting the framework to GC's own Sustainable Product Commitment 2030, which targets 20-30% sustainable revenue.
General Overview of Sustainability for Chemical Company
The course aims to build foundational understanding of why sustainability matters to the chemical industry, covering the sector's role as both a contributor to climate, biodiversity, and resource impacts and an enabler of decarbonization solutions. It introduces life-cycle thinking, eco-design, and circular economy principles through real case studies, and closes with guidance on recognizing and avoiding greenwashing.