Kao’s “NEWTLAC” Wins Material Innovation Awards
Turning Recycled Plastic Waste into Green Pavement for Sustainable Infrastructure

Kao Industrial (Thailand) Co., Ltd., or Kao, a leading Japanese manufacturer of consumer products and chemical solutions, has reinforced its leadership in sustainability-driven innovation by announcing the latest achievement of NEWTLAC, an advanced chemical innovation that repurposes used PET plastic bottles as an asphalt additive to enhance road construction performance. The innovation has been awarded the Material Innovation Awards 2025 at Architect Lanna 2025, a premier platform in the architecture and construction materials industry where sustainability serves as a core judging criterion.

Mr. Hiroyuki Kawai, Executive Officer, Vice President and General Manager of Chemical Business, Kao Industrial (Thailand) Co., Ltd., said “We are truly honored to receive the Material Innovation Awards 2025 at Architect Lanna 2025. This recognition reaffirms that NEWTLAC is not just a concept, but an innovation that effectively delivers both engineering excellence and sustainability while creating positive social impact. Kao remains committed to driving our business under the Kirei Lifestyle Plan, our sustainability strategy dedicated to making the world healthier and cleaner. We place great importance on zero waste, and this innovation proves that used PET plastic bottles can be transformed into high-quality roads, an essential part of national infrastructure in a tangible and meaningful way.”

The Material Innovation Awards 2025 is one of the key highlights of Architect Lanna 2025, organized by the Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage in collaboration with art4d magazine. The award recognizes outstanding materials and innovations that excel in both engineering and design, with sustainability and environmental impact serving as core judging criteria. Winners are selected by a multidisciplinary panel of experts from the fields of design, engineering, material manufacturing, and architecture. As a result, the award serves as a respected benchmark for both industry and the profession, recognizing innovations that successfully progress from concept to real-world application and deliver long-term sustainable impact.

NEWTLAC is a chemical innovation designed to improve asphalt quality by Kao Chemicals. It transforms used PET plastic bottles through advanced chemical processes into a proprietary additive. Key benefits which aligned with the award’s judging criteria, include:

One of the most tangible proofs of NEWTLAC’s success is the Green Pavement Project at Chiang Mai University, developed through collaboration between Kao and CMU’s Faculty of Engineering. The road spans 469 meters and covers over 3,000 square meters, with construction support from Kao by a budget contribution of over THB 1.23 million. More than just a roadway, the project also functions as a Living Lab, providing students with a real-world learning environment.

The construction of this single road diverted 18,909 used PET plastic bottles from waste streams, while demonstrating excellent water drainage performance that helps preserve the university’s ecosystem and its mature trees. Construction was carried out by PCN Corp Public Company Limited, which has also applied NEWTLAC in permeable private parking lot developments.

Beyond Chiang Mai University, NEWTLAC has already been deployed in several other locations, including in some parts of Amata City Industrial Estate in Chonburi and the Don Muang Tollway elevated expressway, implemented by Don Muang Tollway Public Company Limited in partnership with ASIAM Infra Co., Ltd. With additional projects in the pipeline, NEWTLAC is paving the way toward a truly environmentally friendly future for construction.