R&D expansions: Clariant opens two labs for additives in China; BASF opens diaper/superabsorbents lab in India

Swiss materials firm Clariant has announced the official launch of two new R&D 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 newly established labs are said to enable the full synthesis and development of new additives entirely in China, spanning from initial research through to pilot scale. By strengthening local R&D capabilities, Clariant says it can now accelerate innovation to keep pace with fast-moving market trends, respond more closely to customer needs in China and across Asia Pacific, and extend new solutions to global markets with greater speed and competitiveness.

The Daya Bay R&D lab is located at Clariant’s high-performance flame retardants plant in Huizhou, which was inaugurated in 2023 and further expanded with a second production line in November 2025, representing a total investment of CHF100 million. The new R&D lab builds on this strong foundation, focusing on the development of next-generation flame retardant products. Equipped with reactors for both atmospheric and high-pressure synthesis, as well as a comprehensive suite of 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 Centre, is dedicated to the development of novel performance additives including antioxidants, light stabilisers and waxes. Its capabilities span synthesis, analytics, and a pilot-scale polycondensation facility.

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

Clariant 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 officially inaugurated, producing Nylostab S-EED, a multifunctional additive, for China’s fast-growing nylon industry. With every element of the value chain now rooted in China, Clariant can offer customers across the region shorter lead times, faster technical support, and solutions purpose-built for local application requirements.

In other news, German chemicals firm BASF has opened a diaper and superabsorbents (SAP) performance lab in Mumbai. which will provide technical and application services to superabsorbent customers globally. The new lab of BASF’s Hygiene Solutions business has been established in less than a year and is part of BASF’s Innovation Campus Asia Pacific in Mumbai, BASF’s second largest R&D site in Asia Pacific established in 2017 under BASF Chemicals India Private Limited.
Building on a global production network for superabsorbents, the Global Technical Service Lab in Mumbai will provide technical support, application expertise, and rapid customer-focused collaboration. The lab will be bale to perform more than 30 testing methods in a new 200 sq-m lab area.

Designed for SAP as well as for diaper performance and benchmark testing, it will support the co-creation of innovative superabsorbent solutions for baby diapers, adult incontinence products and feminine hygiene applications.

The Mumbai SAP and Diaper Performance Labs represent more than a new technical facility as it embodies BASF’s dedication to customer intimacy, collaboration, speed, and innovation, the company says.

By fostering stronger partnerships and enabling closer engagement with customers, the lab will play a key role in shaping the future of hygiene solutions. It will collaborate with the existing Global Product Development Lab for superabsorbents in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

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