BASF Zhanjiang Polyethylene Plant Begins Commercial Supply: 500,000-Tonne Capacity, First ‘Bajufu’ Delivery on Schedule

On January 8, 2026, BASF’s Zhanjiang Verbund site reached another milestone: a new polyethylene (PE) plant came onstream and completed its first commercial shipment. Dedicated trucks carrying the initial “Bajufu”-brand PE products left the Zhanjiang site and arrived at the customer’s warehouse as scheduled, confirming that the plant has entered full commercial operation. The move delivers on BASF’s customer-centric commitment and, through localized capacity, addresses China’s growing PE demand while reinforcing the company’s position in high-performance plastics.

As a key part of the Zhanjiang Verbund site, the newly started PE plant has a design capacity of 500,000 tonnes per year, which will significantly boost BASF’s ability to supply customers in China and Asia. PE is a lightweight, versatile thermoplastic polymer made from ethylene and is widely used in flexible packaging films, injection-molded items, automotive parts, home appliance components and other applications, offering high-performance material solutions to downstream industries. Certified by TÜV Rheinland to ISO 14067:2018, the HDPE produced at Zhanjiang has a carbon footprint at least 35% lower than the Chinese market average, underscoring BASF’s leadership in the green, low-carbon transition and sustainable development.

The new capacity arrives as China’s PE sector expands rapidly. Monitoring data from the Maihuasu Research Institute show that by the end of 2025, China’s total PE capacity had reached 41.14 million tonnes, up 15.2% year on year. With BASF’s Zhanjiang plant included, the national total has risen to 41.64 million tonnes. China’s PE output in 2025 reached 33.12 million tonnes, an 18.7% year-on-year increase, indicating simultaneous growth in capacity release and production efficiency.

Against this backdrop, the startup of BASF’s Zhanjiang PE plant strengthens local supply of high-end polyolefins and sets a sustainability benchmark for the industry through a low-carbon technology pathway. Going forward, BASF will leverage the scale and innovation strengths of the Zhanjiang Verbund site and work with value chain partners to advance China’s chemical new materials industry toward a more efficient, greener and more resilient stage of high-quality development.