Driving the circular economy by making TPU raw materials more sustainable

Bio-based plastics in a high-performance trail shoe

Our Desmopan® CQ range of TPU integrates up to 60% content sourced from biomass, measured according to the ASTM-D6866 standard. Compared to fossil-based TPUs, the overall carbon footprint can be reduced by more than 20% without compromising quality or performance. Our customer VAUDE, the German outdoor gear and footwear manufacturer, used Desmopan® CQ to create a bio-based plastic foam midsole for their new Lavik Eco outdoor trail shoe; an example of the supply chain working together to creating a new, more sustainable grade of raw materials. Using bioplastics in high-performance footwear also helps VAUDE to further underline its commitment to sustainability.

Working with value chain to recycle plastic for Fairphone case

The inherent mechanical recyclability of TPU means that we are expanding our portfolio of recycled TPU grades. The phone case of the Fairphone 3 is made of Desmopan® CQ with 100% recycled content, reducing fossil resource consumption and plastic waste. From our wide network of industrial partners, we identified multiple streams of PIR (post-industrial recycled) plastics as feedstock for a new range of Desmopan® CQ recycled TPU grades. These feature either a 30% to 100% share of recycled material. Both types are translucent and use waste streams that offer PIR material to recycle that is clean and sorted for molding into desired colors, resulting in an appearance similar to virgin plastics.

ISCC PLUS will enable portfolio of mass balance certified TPU products

Mass balance is an approach that enables our customers to gradually replace fossil chemical feedstocks in their products using a drop-in solution that is available today. We begin by taking delivery of certified alternative feedstocks like bio-based raw materials, which can be used directly in our plants. The process and material flow are audited according to the third-party International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS standard. This ensures that feedstock quantities and flows are systematically traceable, and can then be attributed to specific products using a mass balance approach that is certified by an independent global standard.

A more circular material with the same quality and performance as a fossil-based feedstock can be dropped into existing systems without technical investment or production interruptions. In 2022 we will be introducing our first portfolio of ISCC mass balance certified TPU CQ products.