is a Japanese manufacturer of chemicals, fibers and other materials. Their main manufacturing facilities are located in Kurashiki, Okayama. The company's Tokyo administrative offices are located in Otemachi, Chiyoda in the Ote Center Building and its Osaka offices are located in the Umeda Hankyu Building). , Kuraray was the sole worldwide producer of

Vectran Vectran is a manufactured fiber, spun from a liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) created by Celanese Corporation and now manufactured by Kuraray. Chemically it is an aromatic polyester produced by the polycondensation of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 6-hyd ...

liquid crystal polymer Liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) are polymers with the property of liquid crystal, usually containing aromatic rings as mesogens. Despite uncrosslinked LCPs, polymeric materials like liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and liquid crystal networks (L ...

(LCP) fibre. The company is listed in the first section of

Tokyo Stock Exchange The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan. It is the third largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies, and the largest in Asia. It had 2,292 listed ...

and is a member of the Nikkei 225 stock market index. Kuraray is a member of the Mizuho keiretsu.

History

In April 2015, Kuraray acquired the Australian manufacturer of biobased barrier films Plantic Technologies. In September 2017, Kuraray acquired Calgon Carbon for $1.1 billion, an activated carbon maker based in Pittsburgh. In February 2021, Kuraray signed the global framework of the

United Nations Global Compact The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to encourage businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. The UN Global Compact is a princi ...

Product Offerings

Various products are described below: *

Clarino is a brand name for artificial leather manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd. of Japan. It is commonly used in gloves, footwear, handbags, and law enforcement duty gear. Versions are made that simulate suede and top-grain leather. Being a man-mad ...

* EVAL * Felibendy ( nonwoven fabric of Sophista composite fiber, see below) * Genestar * MOWIOL * MOWIFLEX * MOWITAL / PIOLOFORM * KURARAY POVAL * Septon * Sophista (fiber: polyester core, ethylene vinyl alcohol-coated) *

* Butacite® / TROSIFOL brand polyvinyl butyral

Gallery

Incidents

In May 2018, an explosion occurred in Kuraray's Pasadena plant in the US, injuring 21 workers. The plant is the world's largest ethylene vinyl alcohol plant. Kuraray agreed to pay a total of $92 million in settlement to the affected employees. In September 2019, a plasticizer leaked from Kuraray's plant in Fayetteville to the Cape Fear River, forcing the Brunswick County to stop drawing water from the river.

References

External links

Official global website

Kuraray America, Inc.

Kuraray Europe GmbH
Chemical companies based in Tokyo Textile companies of Japan Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Japanese companies established in 1926 Chemical companies established in 1926 Companies based in Osaka Prefecture {{japan-company-stub