Tokyo, Japan, October 6, 2010 ---Teijin Limited announced today that eyeglass frames made of BIOFRONT heat-resistant bioplastic will be launched in Japan by the KATHERINE E HAMNETT lineup of ethically and environmentally sound fashion. Teijin's BIOFRONT is used for all plastic parts of the eyeglass frames, including the temples, a world's first for commercial eyeglasses.

The BIOFRONT eyeglasses will be marketed by Yabushita Group Inc. and sold in Katherine E Hamnett and other retail stores nationwide from early December. Yabushita, which expects to achieve 50 million yen in annual sales of the new product, will exhibit the eyeglasses during the International Optical Fair Tokyo (IOFT 2010) at Tokyo Big Sight from October 18 to 20.

Acetate is commonly used for the plastic parts of eyeglasses, but contact with cosmetics or hair-styling products can result in bleaching. Acetate also tends to warp under high heat, and in some cases it can cause skin rashes. Polylactide (PLA), a type of bioplastic, has been used for nose pads because its antibacterial properties help to avoid rashes, but conventional PLA has not been used for parts such as frames and temples because of its insufficient heat resistance.

The KATHARINE E HAMNETT brand, in which the “E” stands for ethically and environmentally sound production, was launched in 2004 by Katherine Hamnett, a world-famous English fashion designer who has been working to raise consumer awareness of environmental issues in the clothing industry. The designer has acknowledged that Teijin's BIOFRONT eyeglasses are an environmentally sound yet highly functional product.

Last year, Teijin Limited and Teijin Chemicals Limited, in collaboration with Tanaka Foresight Inc., successfully developed eyeglass frames made from BIOFRONT, an advanced PLA that offers heat resistance comparable to that of oil-based plastics and is highly resistant to bleaching and bacteria. Superior to conventional PLA in terms of heat resistance, durability and moldability, BIOFRONT fibers, resins and films offer a wide range of applications, including clothing, automotive and electric components and interior materials.

Teijin's ECO CIRCLETM Wins Award for Environmental Innovation



Tokyo, Japan, October 12, 2010 ---Teijin Fibers Limited, the core company of the Teijin Group's polyester fibers business, announced today that its ECO CIRCLE closed-loop recycling system for polyester received an ICIS Innovation Award 2010 in the category of Innovation with Best Environmental Benefit.

The award recognizes ECO CIRCLE as an innovative chemical-based recycling technology and Teijin's efforts to protect the environment through polyester recycling. ECO CIRCLE helps to conserve oil resources and reduce waste by repeatedly recycling polyester material. It also leads to significantly reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions, as compared to conventional processes in which polyester is produced from petroleum and eventually disposed through incineration.

ECO CIRCLE was developed by Teijin Fibers in 1999 and then enhanced with the world's first technology for chemical recycling in 2002. Teijin's proprietary technology enables polyester to be chemically decomposed at the molecular level and then converted into new polyester raw material. The purity and quality of the recycled material are both comparable to polyester derived directly from petroleum.

The ECO CIRCLE system includes developing and manufacturing recyclable polyester products, and then collecting the products at the end of their useful lives to recycle them once again. The system now encompasses a global network of more than 130 companies, including apparel, sportswear and uniform manufacturers, all of whom share a common commitment to environmental responsibility through recycling.

"It is an honor and a pleasure to receive this ICIS Innovation Award from the global chemical industry in recognition of our innovative chemical recycling technology and efforts to advance environmental protection," said Norio Kamei, president of Teijin Fibers. "Together with our ECO CIRCLE partners, we will continue to pursue our common goal of promoting sustainability through recycling. Going forward, Teijin Fibers also will continue to enhance ECO CIRCLE, aiming to create innovative recycling models for the entire polyester chain in the longer term."

The ICIS Innovation Awards (www.icis.com/awards), now in their seventh year, are organized by ICIS, the chemical publishing arm of Reed Business Information in the United Kingdom. The awards recognize companies that make significant contributions to the fields of technology and business. Each year, entries are judged by a panel of experts looking for innovative projects that solve problems or provide useful solutions for companies, their customers and society, as well as the environment.