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 & Plastic 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.
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Main creators | Chen Rongwei, Guan Xiruyi, Li Qian, Gong Chunhui
Revisors | Wei Shen, Huang Qini, Liu Lingzhi