News Markets & Companies
Nouryon opens new innovation center in Shanghai to advance local development and customer collaboration
Nouryon has opened a new innovation center in Shanghai, China, to strengthen its research, application, and customer collaboration capabilities across the Asia-Pacific region. The facility will focus on developing sustainable and market-specific solutions for key industries.
The new site more than doubles the space of Nouryon’s previous Shanghai facility and significantly enhances its testing and analytical infrastructure. Eight specialized laboratories focus on industries including agriculture, electronics, construction, pharmaceuticals, personal care, and paints and coatings.
The coatings laboratory is dedicated to optimizing Bermocoll cellulose ethers for waterborne paint and coating formulations, supporting the transition toward low-VOC and more sustainable systems. Other laboratories are focused on cosmetics, cleaning, catalyst development, lightweight thermoplastics, and chromatography for pharmaceutical purification.
Supporting sustainable innovation
The innovation center aims to accelerate the development of environmentally responsible technologies, such as biobased chelates, biopolymer personal care products, and low-VOC coating systems.
As part of Nouryon’s global innovation network, the Shanghai site reinforces the company’s strategy to enhance local R&D collaboration and responsiveness. An additional innovation center for organic peroxides is scheduled to open in Tianjin in 2026.
Relevance for the coatings industry
By establishing this new facility, Nouryon strengthens its local research presence and technical expertise in binder and additive technologies for waterborne coatings. The Shanghai innovation center provides a platform for hands-on formulation development, faster adaptation to regional requirements, and enhanced technical support for coating manufacturers in Asia—contributing to more sustainable and efficient coating systems.
