COLOMBES, France — March 24, 2021 — As an innovator in amino 11 chemistry derived from sustainable castor seeds, Arkema’s famous range of high performance thermoplastic elastomers has evolved to include a wide portfolio of advanced bio-circular solutions.
During its first four decades, the Pebax® elastomer family has proven itself in the sports shoe industry — setting countless world records along the way. It has also established itself as a reference material in a wide variety of industrial, consumer electronics, wearable device, and medical device applications that celebrate its outstanding energy return, lightness, and durable flexibility.
More recently, Arkema has taken several steps forward in terms of bio-sourced origin and the circular economy.
- An entire range of Pebax Rnew® bio-based grades whose hard polyamide blocks are derived from Arkema’s flagship polyamide 11 chemistry; Available in Shore D hardness range of 30 to 80
- A wide range of partially bio-based lightweight foams available commercially through Arkema’s network of partner foam producers — lighter and more resilient than traditional foams used in high performance sports shoes while retaining the explosive energy return for which Pebax polymers have become world famous
- New partially bio-based hydrophilic grades particularly suited for breathable membranes for the sustainable apparel market
- Recently announced Virtucycle® partnership program for recycling post-industrial and post-consumer polymers
- Arkema and its partners have recently celebrated four years of successful implementation of the Pragati program* which drives sustainable castor bean farming in India; more than 4,500 castor seed farmers in India have now been certified
- In support of our partner customers in the high performance sports market, Arkema has created a dedicated consumer-facing website www.pebaxpowered.com to educate consumers in terms of technical and sustainable performance
“Sustainability has been a major driver of our innovation,” said Erwoan Pezron, senior vice presidetn, High performance polymers. “We are proud to deliver advanced bio-circularmaterialsto our customers.We continue to innovate in exciting new arenas such as 3D printing, sustainable toys, and a wide variety of consumer applications. We look forward to an exciting future driven by our rich pipeline of new developments.!”
* The Pragati project is a collaborative project by Arkema. BASF, Jayant Agro-Organics, and Solidaridad, the implementing partner. The goal of the project is to encourage sustainable castor bean farming in Gujarat, India, where the majority of the world’s supply originates. Pragati is the Hindi word for progress.
Posted March 24, 2021
Source: Arkema
