Arkema’s 40th Anniversary of its Pebax TPEs Includes Some Big Steps in Sustainability

A leading innovator in amino 11 chemistry derived from sustainable castor seeds,Arkema, King of Prussia, Penn., has marked the 40^th  anniversary of its Pebax thermoplastic elastomer family. The now well-known brand—which has particularly proven itself as a “susperstar: in the sports show industry worldwide, has evolved to include a wide portfolio of advanced bio-circular solutions.

Moreover the Pebax brand 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. Included are:

 ▪  An entire range of Pebax Rnew biobased grades whose ‘hard nylon blocks’ are derived from Arkema’s flagship nylon 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 –touted as lighter and more resilient than traditional foams used in high-performance sports shoes while retaining the explosive energy return for which Pebax TPEs have become world famous.

 ▪  New partially biobased 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; over 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.

Said Erwoan Pezron, senior v.p. for high-performance polymers, “Sustainability has been a major driver of our innovation. We are proud to deliver advanced bio-circular materials to 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.!”