Tokyo – Polyurethane foam production in Japan fell by 21.1% in September 2021 compared with September 2020.
In total, the country produced 13.3 kT of flexible and rigid polyurethane in the month. This compares with 16.9 kT in September 2020.
Cumulatively, Japan has generated 132.7 kT of foam this year. This is up by 5.2% or 6.6 kT on this stage last year.
It produced 7.5 kT of flexible foam in the month. This is a decline of 32.1% on the figure of 11.0 kT produced in September 2020.
Looking at the year to date, flexible foam production has reached 85.3 kT. This is a rise of 4.7% or 4.2 kT on the amount produced by this stage last year.
The country's rigid foam production in September contracted by 0.2% between 2020 and 2021. In the most recent month, it stood at 5.8 kT; this is 14.0 tonne less than last year.
Taking the year so far, rigid foam production is up by 5.4%. It currently stands at 47.4 kT, which is more than production at this stage last year by 2434 tonnes.
Numbers are collated by MITI, the Japanese trade ministry. There is a lag while the data is checked.