Clariant, a specialty chemicals company focused on sustainability, has launched two new research and development laboratories for its Additives business in China: one at the Daya Bay production site in Huizhou and one at the One Clariant Campus (OCC) in Shanghai. The company said the move marks an advancement in its local innovation capability and supports its ‘In China, For China’ strategy.

From application development to full R&D

The newly established labs go beyond Clariant’s existing local application development capabilities, enabling the full synthesis and development of new additives entirely on Chinese soil, spanning from initial research through to pilot scale. The company said that by strengthening local R&D capabilities, it can accelerate innovation to keep pace with market trends, respond more closely to customer needs in China and across Asia Pacific, and extend new solutions to global markets with greater speed.

Two specialized labs, one integrated vision

The Daya Bay R&D lab is located at Clariant’s flame retardants plant in Huizhou, which was inaugurated in 2023 and expanded with a second production line in November 2025, representing a total investment of CHF 100 million. The new R&D lab builds on this foundation, focusing on the development of next-generation flame retardant products. Equipped with reactors for both atmospheric and high-pressure synthesis, as well as analytical instruments including TGA, DSC, XRF, GC, and ion chromatography, the lab is also designed to support external collaboration with universities and innovation partners across China.

The OCC R&D lab in Shanghai, housed within the existing Additives Technology Center, is dedicated to the development of performance additives including antioxidants, light stabilizers and waxes. Its capabilities span synthesis, analytics, and a pilot-scale polycondensation facility.

Both labs are staffed with R&D professionals recruited specifically to work in their respective areas.

A local innovation ecosystem

The launch of these two labs is the latest step in Clariant’s local innovation ecosystem in China, where the company said it now has the full value chain in place: local R&D, local manufacturing, and local partnerships. In November 2025, Clariant announced a joint venture with Fuhua to develop next-generation phosphorus-based flame retardants, and in the same month, the second production line at the Cangzhou joint venture plant with Beijing Tiangang was inaugurated, producing Nylostab S-EED, a multifunctional additive, for China’s nylon industry. The company said that with every element of the value chain now rooted in China, it can offer customers across the region shorter lead times, faster technical support, and solutions built for local application requirements.

Manuel Mueller, head of strategy and innovation, Business Unit Adsorbents & Additives, said, “Sustainability-driven innovation is at the core of Clariant Additives’ strategy, and the expansion of our R&D labs to China is an important milestone in bringing that vision to life. The new facilities will enable us to develop high-value specialty additives for plastics, coatings, and adhesives with greater speed and precision, tailored to the needs of our customers in China and across global markets. By forging deeper collaboration with leading local institutes and industry partners, we are further strengthening Clariant’s position as the partner of choice for innovative and sustainable additive solutions.”