Mitsui Chemicals is supplying nonwovens as raw materials for isolation gowns in an effort to support health care providers on front lines in cutting-edge medical facilities. This effort comes as increasing spread of coronavirus has made isolation gowns – for which Japan has been largely reliant on foreign imports – difficult to obtain amid the global pandemic.

To establish this supply, Mitsui Chemicals is making use of wholly owned subsidiary Sunrex Industry Co Ltd, which serves as a major plant for nonwovens production. Mitsui Chemicals is taking production facilities here that normally produce nonwoven sanitary materials and repurposing these to begin production of nonwovens for isolation gowns.

This has then ensured a production system able to create enough nonwovens for over 10 million gowns per month. To supply medical sites as quickly and promptly as possible, Mitsui Chemicals is also coordinating with the likes of sewing companies, and through this has contributed from the raw material stage toward efforts to quickly establish a fully domestic supply system for isolation gowns.