Evonik opens new Asia PAthletic Center for advancing polyamide solutions in sports and consumer goods  

• Center to deliver innovation and technical support for polyamide-based materials in sports and consumer goods industries
• One-stop support for long-chain polyamides from material evaluation to application validation
• Facility  enables collaboration with manufacturers to accelerate commercialization

Shanghai. Evonik has announced the opening of a dedicated polyamide research and innovation hub for sports and consumer goods. Dubbed the “Evonik Asia PAthletic Center,” the facility focuses on polyamide-based material innovation – especially with polyether block amides (PEBAs), application development, and technical support to the sports and consumer goods industries. The hub will help customers accelerate product iterations and commercialization.

“Asia is a key engine for innovation and manufacturing in the global sports and consumer goods industry,” said Jinhong Zhang, Vice President and General Manager of Evonik’s High Performance Polymers business line in the Asia-Pacific region. “With the opening of the Evonik Asia PAthletic Center, we aim to further strengthen our local footprint, from material supply to application collaboration. The new center will support our work with OEMs, manufacturers, and industry partners to shorten the cycle from concept to production. Furthermore, the center will enable the further collaboration that is vital for continuous improvements in performance, sustainability, and manufacturing efficiency for sports products.”

The Evonik Asia PAthletic Center was inaugurated with an official ceremony at the CHINAPLAS international exhibition for the plastics and rubber industry.

“Evonik PEBA supercritical foaming materials have proven their exceptional performance in a wide range of running shoe models,” said Dr. Forrest Gan, Senior Manager of Compound Engineering at Deckers International HK Limited. “We look forward to the new Asia PAthletic Center bringing Evonik even closer to brand partners, enabling deeper collaboration and more precise solutions to real-world commercialization challenges. We are excited to see Evonik continue to introduce high performance, diversified product solutions that empower brands and drive the next wave of footwear innovation.”

The Evonik Asia PAthletic Center will offer comprehensive testing and evaluation capabilities for both rigid materials (PA12) and soft materials (PA12 elastomers), covering international standards such as ISO and ASTM as well as brand-specific standards. The center will also feature pilot-scale plastics processing capabilities and can provide 3D-printed samples, injection-molded test specimens, and films supporting early-stage validation.

“We will translate our products portfolio and global application experience in long-chain polyamides into solutions that can be validated for sports applications,” said Dirk Heinrich, Global Head of Applied Technology & Technical Service in long-chain polyamides, in Evonik’s High Performance Polymers business line. “On one hand, we will co-develop formulations and processing windows to meet different process requirements. On the other hand, we will use standardized testing and sample validation to help customers complete design verification and scale up to production faster.”

Long-chain polyamides like PEBAs are used in athletic footwear, apparel, sports equipment, and specialized protective gear. Processed into key components and core structural parts, these materials enable lightweighting, durability, comfort, and overall performance.

As a key supplier of high-performance polyamides, Evonik will continue to build on local market insights and further support innovation in the use of long-chain polyamides in sports products as well as upgrades in manufacturing processes.

For more information on Evonik’s long-chain polyamides for sporting good applications, please visit: https://www.vestamid.com/en/markets/sports.