KANEKA EUROPE HOLDING COMPANY NV

About KANEKA EUROPE HOLDING COMPANY NV

Kaneka Belgium is the Belgian arm of Kaneka Corporation, a Japan-based technology-driven group founded in 1949. In Belgium, the company focuses on functional and foamed plastic solutions and related specialty materials, serving industrial, automotive, building and construction, packaging, consumer, DIY, and residential applications.

The company positions itself around world-class science and technology, with a strong emphasis on polymerization, macromolecular technologies, and fermentation-based innovation. Its Belgian site in Westerlo also serves as a European base for Kaneka’s broader EMEA activities, supporting market development and the rollout of new materials and applications.

Core Values

• Innovation: Kaneka repeatedly emphasizes continuous technological development and the creation of highly specialized product groups through proprietary technologies and their synergies.
• Sustainability: The company highlights low-VOC, solvent-free, bio-based, compostable, and biodegradable solutions, including materials designed to reduce reliance on petroleum resources and address microplastic concerns.
• Performance: Across polymers, foams, and fibers, Kaneka stresses products that deliver strong physical properties, durability, and reliable processing performance for demanding applications.
• Partnership: The homepage slogan “Better together” and references to joint development projects show a collaborative approach to innovation with customers and research partners.

Unique Aspects

• European holding structure: Kaneka established a European holding company in Brussels to accelerate business development in the EMEA region and organize Kaneka Belgium, Kaneka Pharma Europe, and Eurogentec under one structure.
• Long-standing Belgian presence: Kaneka Belgium was founded in 1970 in Westerlo and is described as the company’s first subsidiary outside Japan and the first production site of a Japanese chemical company in Belgium.
• Biodegradable polymer leadership: Green Planet™ is presented as a 100% biomass-derived biodegradable biopolymer, with certifications and regulatory recognition including OK Biodegradable MARINE and EU microplastic-free recognition for Expanded Beads type L40N.
• Expanded European MS Polymer capacity: Kaneka announced a major investment in Westerlo to add a fourth production line for MS Polymer™, increasing European capacity by 10,000 tons annually to 43,000 tons.
• Biopharmaceutical footprint in Europe: Through Kaneka Eurogentec in Belgium, the group expanded biopharmaceutical CDMO capacity with a new GMP facility and a 2,200-liter fermentor, showing that the Belgian platform extends beyond industrial materials.