Clariant opens two Additives R&D labs in China

New labs and capabilities

Clariant has opened two Additives R&D laboratories in China: one at the Daya Bay production site in Huizhou and one at the One Clariant Campus (OCC) in Shanghai. The facilities expand local capability from application development to full synthesis and pilot-scale R&D for flame retardants and performance additives.

Site specifics

The Daya Bay lab, integrated with the Huizhou flame retardants plant, focuses on next-generation flame retardants and is equipped with reactors for both atmospheric and high-pressure synthesis and analytical instruments including TGA, DSC, XRF, GC and ion chromatography. The OCC lab in Shanghai is dedicated to antioxidants, light stabilizers and waxes and houses synthesis, analytics and a pilot-scale polycondensation unit.

Local ecosystem and partnerships

The launch completes a China-based value chain of local R&D, manufacturing and partnerships. In November 2025 Clariant added a second production line at the Cangzhou joint venture with Beijing Tiangang to produce Nylostab™ S-EED™, and announced a joint venture with Fuhua to develop next-generation phosphorus-based flame retardants.

Strategic impact

The company positions the labs under its "In China, For China" strategy to shorten lead times, accelerate technical support and deepen collaboration with local institutes and customers across China and APAC, enabling faster scale-up of locally developed solutions to global markets. The Daya Bay expansion follows a CHF 100 million investment in the site.