Four materials innovators with something to offer those interested in green design
![](https://develop3d.kosinus.hr/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/box-appetit-.jpg)
Company Eastman
Product Tritan copolyester
Eastman, headquartered in Kingsport, US, provides chemicals, fibres and plastics materials. One of its sustainable materials is Tritan copolyester, a compelling alternative to traditional polymers, including polycarbonate. It can be used by designers and engineers in a range of applications.
Facts:
- Bisphenol-A (BPA) free
- Estrogenic Activity (EA) free
- Does not contain halogens, sulphur, nitrogen, lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium
- Chemical resistance
- Heat-resisting properties
- Toughness and durability enables reusability
- Ease of processing
- It can result in shorter cycle times and fewer manufacturing stages
- Favourable life cycle assessment vs. polycarbonate (13% improvement in energy savings and 42% in green house gas emission savings
- London design consultancy, Black+Blum specified Tritan copolyester for the lid of its new lunch box, the Box Appetit
![](https://develop3d.kosinus.hr/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Bayer__MaterialScience__Ecotrekker.jpg)
Company Bayer MaterialScience
Product Various
Bayer MaterialScience is one of the world’s largest producers of polymers and high-performance plastics. It recently collaborated with Simple Factory Group to create a ‘green’ shoe concept that uses a whole host of sustainable materials and technologies.
Facts:
- Up to 40% renewable materials in the polycarbonate (PC) blend
- Adhesives are based on waterborne Dispercoll U polyurethane raw materials
- Impranil is a water-based coating that is abrasion and wear resistant
- Coatings and adhesive products are solvent-free
- The shoe cap is made from a PC+PLA (polylactic acid) blend from the company’s Makroblend range
- Desmopan thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) are used for the heel counter, shoelace eyelets and logo
- TPU films from the Dureflex range form a vapour-permeable membrane to reinforce the inner sole
- Up to 90% of all components in the Ecotrekker concept shoe can be given eco-compatible properties by using BayerMaterialScience’s products
![](https://develop3d.kosinus.hr/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/JayWatson_Anemoi_cluster_.jpg)
Company DuPont
Product Corian
Founded in 1802, DuPont is a science-based products and services company that creates a number of sustainable solutions including DuPont Corian, a solid surface material. Available in over 100 “green” colours, Corian can be carved, routed or worked like wood, moulded, thermoformed or inlayed.
Facts:
- Corian is a blend of natural minerals and acrylic polymer
- Once the ingredients of Corian are fully reacted (polymerised) in the manufacturing process, they become a chemically stable material with low impact on both indoor and outdoor environments
- Pigments used to manufacture Corian are FDA-listed and selected from materials free of heavy metals, toxic or carcinogenic ingredients
- Durable and renewable
- Scrap and off-spec Corian is being used as raw material for new product applications
- Jay Watson has taken advantage of the malleability of Corian in the design of his Anemoi pendant uplighters
![](https://develop3d.kosinus.hr/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/maize_crop.jpg)
Company A&O Film Pac
Product PHA resins
UK-based A&O Film Pac is a European distributor of bioresins, which works with ECOMANN, a Chinese-based producer of biodegradable plastics. PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate), a biodegradable polyester, is a recent addition to the range that is both sustainable and renewable.
Facts:
- PHA resins are made from non-food GM free maize starch or sugar
- ECOMANN produces 5,000 tonnes of PHA resins a year
- With a new factory this capacity will increase to 50,000 tonnes per year from 2012
- PHA blends well with other plastics, fillers and additives and is very versatile
- Products made from PHA can range from soft and rubbery to very hard
- Excellent packaging material as it’s food contact compliant and easily compostable
- Various types available that can be moulded or extruded via all common processing technologies
- PHA resins are grown in fermentation vats using corn sugar
Some sustainable material choices
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