In recent years, lenses have grown ever thinner and lighter—where does the secret lie? The answer is not only in the lens factories; it also comes from a low-key chemical raw material: 2-mercaptoethanol.
As a key upstream feedstock for high-index resin lenses, it is used to produce polythiols, which go on to form high-end optical resin—making lenses of the same prescription thinner and more transparent.
In the global market, about 60 percent of 2-mercaptoethanol comes from Sunion Chemical & Plastics in Maoming, Guangdong. The company recovers waste hydrogen sulfide, off-gas that refineries once had to dispose of, and converts it into high-value fine chemical products, turning waste gas into recyclable resources. It is also a practical path to green petrochemicals.
Behind 2-mercaptoethanol lies a trillion-yuan green petrochemical industrial cluster. Along Guangdong's coast, five integrated refining-and-petrochemical bases—in Guangzhou, Huizhou, Zhanjiang, Maoming and Jieyang—are strung together like beads on a chain. They strengthen basic refining and petrochemicals while deepening their work in fine chemicals, steadily supplying key raw materials to industries such as optics, electronics and textiles, and nurturing a host of "hidden champion" companies in niche fields.
Today, 2-mercaptoethanol from Guangdong reaches more than 40 countries and regions around the world, including APEC economies.
Backed by a complete industrial foundation, a green petrochemical industrial chain that starts in Guangdong and reaches across the globe is turning one process innovation after another into real, best-selling products—sharing the dividends of green manufacturing with Asia-Pacific partners.
A single leaf heralds autumn; small signs reveal the bigger picture. Green is a defining color of Asia-Pacific growth. As a member of the Asia-Pacific family, China is actively deepening green innovation cooperation with all sides—adding new momentum to regional development through technological innovation, driving the Asia-Pacific green transition through its own green development, and contributing to a new development advantage for the region.
During APEC's "China Year", several themed events feature green development as a core theme, seeking to dismantle barriers, align rules, build platforms and expand cooperation. One green development initiative after another has injected momentum into the region’s sustainable growth — and will deliver tangible benefits to communities across the Asia-Pacific.
More from the series
Main creators | Chen Rongwei, Guan Xiruyi, Li Qian, Gong Chunhui
Revisors | Wei Shen, Huang Qini, Liu Lingzhi
