Application News Salomon
Application News Salomon Ski- Boots with Biobased Hytrel RS The collar of the new Salomon ‘Ghost’ freerider alpine ski-boot constitutes one of the first commercial uses worldwide of DuPont Hytrel ® RS (renewably-sourced) thermoplastic elastomer. Providing all the traditional performance characteristics of Hytrel for such a demanding winter sports application – including impact resistance and flexibility at low temperatures – the particular grade of Hytrel RS used contains 27 wt % renewably-sourced material. Already familiar with the properties of Hytrel the recent launch of the renewably-sourced grades caught Salomon’s attention as it sought to increase the environmental credentials of its latest alpine skiboots. “We already knew Hytrel could offer the required performance for the collar of our new ‘Ghost’ freerider boots as an alternative to polyurethane,” confirms Pascal Pallatin, alpine boot & advanced research project manager at Salomon (Annecy, France). “The fact that we could now access a grade of the high performance material with a significant renewable content is an additional selling point for our boots.” Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomers provide all the performance characteristics of traditional Hytrel materials, while offering a more environmentally friendly solution than petroleum-based products. Containing between 20% and 60% renewably-sourced material, Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomers are made using renewably-sourced polyol derived from corn or other renewable source – and are, as moulding for Salomon confirmed, easily processed by conventional thermoplastic methods. The properties of Hytrel RS of particular relevance to this ski-boot collar application include excellent flex fatigue and flexibility at temperatures as low as -20°C (versus polyurethane) and high impact resistance. The collar is injection moulded as a single piece and coloured white using masterbatch. The Salomon ‘Ghost’ motif is added to the collar using pad printing. Comprehensive field testing by Salomon freeriders has demonstrated that Hytrel RS best fulfils all requirements for the ski-boot collar in terms of elasticity, impact resistance, strength and stiffness. “The freeriders returned with very positive comments on the boot’s behaviour at low temperatures as well as its consistent behaviour over a wide temperature range,” concludes Pascal Pallatin. New PLA Clamshell Especially Designed for Pears At Fruit Logistica, the international trade fair for fruit and vegetable marketing Berlin, Germany (4-6 Feb 2009) Italian packaging manufacturer ILIP from Bologna introduced a new packaging designed for pears. Made from PLA, the practical ILIP clamshell has four pockets which accommodate the pears, protecting them from bruising, and is available in two formats, one for medium-sized fruit (65-75 cm) and one for larger fruit (75-85 cm). The base has been designed so that the tray is suspended above the bottom of the container, to keep the fruit in a more protected position. Even the label bearing the Valfrutta brand is made from PLA, resulting in a package that is 100% biodegradable. At the same exhibition an agreement signed earlier this year between ILIP and Valfrutta Fresco was announced. As of this year, all Valfrutta fresh produce will be sold in fully biodegradable packs, exploiting the completeness of the ILIP range of PLA packaging for the fruit and vegetable sector. “We are extremely satisfied with this partnership with Valfrutta,” declared Riccardo Pianesani, legal representative of ILPA srl, ILIP Division, “because it allows us to start 2009 focusing on the issue which is closest to our hearts, namely environmental protection, while involving a leading fruit and vegetable producer in the use of our eco-compatible materials.” www.ilip.it www.valfruttafresco.it www2.dupont.com/Plastics/en_US/Products/Hytrel/Hytrel.html www.salomonsports.com 26 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/09] Vol. 4
Application News In-Mould- Decorated Thin- Walled Injection Moulded Packaging Europlastiques from Laval, France has invested many years in collaborative research into bioplastics from renewable resources. Thus the company has acquired sound knowledge about their characteristics and their processing conditions. This advance enabled the company to select a compostable bioplastic material (PLA based) suited for food contact: Together with Biotech (Sphere Group) Europlastiques developed a material type and the processing conditions for injection moulding it into rigid, thin-walled packing. “Now we are confident that we are without doubt among the top European companies in thin-walled injection moulded industrial packaging for the food industry,” as Benjamin Barberot, Directeur Industriel of Europlastiques points out. In addition these new packages can be decorated by in-mould-labelling (IML), the printed label itself being a bioplastic material. The first commercial products using this kind of ‘bio’-materials are just about to be launched to the market. “Upstream of our processing efforts, the agrochemical industry as well as some of the large petrochemical companies are heavily investing. Too,” says Benjamin Barberot, “the industry is intensively researching to find possible alternatives to fossil materials. And with ‘euroBIO’, Europlast is contributing its share by optimizing the processing to best meet the food packaging specifications” www.europlastiques.com Plush Chocolates Launch Fairtrade Chocolates with Plantic Packaging Plush Chocolates from Long Compton, UK, a new 100% Fairtrade company, have just launched their product ranges with ‘eco friendly’ packaging for their Luxury Fairtrade English and Belgian Chocolate collections, made possible through Plantic’s sustainable polymer technology. Plush Chocolates are known for being made using the finest Fairtrade ingredients. Plush Chocolates chose the Plantic ® tray, made from non-GM high amylose corn starch, for its unique combination of functional and environmental benefits. The compostable Plantic trays have a renewable resource content of approximately 85% and offer anti-static and odour barrier solutions, essential for chocolate packaging. Plush Chocolates wanted their packaging to do three things: reflect the high quality of the chocolates inside by being desirable, tasty and good-looking; show that chocolates made with Fairtrade ingredients can be just as exciting and dynamic as other products; and be ethically sound. Plantic packaging ensured all of these requirements were upheld. In commenting, Sarah Hobbs, Joint Founding Director said, “We are so excited about our ‘eco-friendly’ trays and proud to be among the first people in the UK to sell chocolates in trays made from Plantic. What is particularly impressive about Plantic packaging is that it can be disposed of in a home compost and its energy requirement is approximately half that of petrochemical polymers.” Brendan Morris, Chief Executive Officer, Plantic Technologies, commented, “We are pleased that Plush have chosen to use Plantic biodegradable packaging for their chocolate trays. In doing so, Plush are actively leading the way in sustainable-driven technology, demonstrating their strong commitment to reducing waste and waste management costs, while providing function and performance to their customers”. www.plushchocolates.co.uk. www.plantic.com.au bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/09] Vol. 4 27
