MaterialsStarch-based absorbent could make its big break in Middle East crude oil crisisNagase hopes to expand the use of its polymer from incontinence pads, left, to name-brand infant diapers. (Source photos by Nagase & Co. and Nikkei)YUI SATO and RYOTA NISHIYAMAJune 4, 2026 06:28 JSTTOKYO -- Japanese chemical trader Nagase & Co. has high hopes for a starch-derived absorbent material for incontinence pads and diapers that uses little crude oil-derived naphtha, looking to give consumers a new choice as supplies are strained by the Middle East crisis.