CovationBio Launches Bio-Based Athletic Insoles in Portland

The milestone follows the April 2026 mechanical completion of the company's 50,000-ton C4 platform plant in Qidong, China. By August, the facility began producing Xatryx.T bioTHF and three molecular weight grades of Xatryx bioPTMEG. Chairman You Feifeng noted that the team achieved full-scale production, including equipment commissioning and process optimization, in just four months. These materials are designed as drop-in replacements for fossil-based PTMEG, allowing manufacturers to integrate bio-based components into spandex, polyurethanes, and thermoplastic elastomers without overhauling existing production lines.

At the NW Materials Show in Portland, Oregon, CovationBio and INSITE are co-hosting a forum to demonstrate how these materials function in high-performance footwear. The collaboration highlights a shift from raw material development to finished consumer goods, utilizing agricultural by-products like corncobs to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Dr. Zhao Mosha, Global Marketing Director for the C4 platform, described the project as a validation of the material's industrial viability, emphasizing that the transition from initial manufacturing to end-product launch occurred in only a few weeks.