Life Cycle Analysis Indicates 41% Reduction in CO2 Emissions versus Conventional Vinyl
ORLANDO, FL, U.S.A. April 9, 2012: Teknor Apex Company has developed flexible vinyl compounds with plasticizers based on renewable resources for applications as diverse as automotive window encapsulation, medical tubing, and footwear, and it is prepared to supply the compounds to manufacturers seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of their products, the company announced at NPE2012 (Booth 58038).
New BioVinyl™ flexible vinyl compounds have already found commercial uses in a range of shoe welting manufactured by custom extrusion processor Barbour Plastics, Inc and a new series of Tuff-Seal interlocking floor tile from Flooring Adventures.
BioVinyl compounds incorporate phthalate-free DOW ECOLIBRIUM™ Bio-Based Plasticizers, which are manufactured using plant byproducts by Dow Electrical and Telecommunications (Dow E&T), a unit of The Dow Chemical Company. Under a recently announced Joint Collaboration Agreement, Teknor Apex has been granted the exclusive right to market in North America flexible vinyl compounds containing DOW ECOLIBRIUM™ Bio-Based Plasticizers in certain applications. Life cycle analysis tests conducted by Dow and reviewed by a third party indicate that every ton of vinyl compound made flexible with DOW ECOLIBRIUM™ Bio-Based Plasticizer helps the industry reduce carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 0.7 ton, or 41%.
“BioVinyl compounds possess a lower global-warming potential than conventional flexible vinyl, and their carbon footprint reduction is even greater in comparison with non-vinyl plastics,” said Louis R. Cappucci, vice president in charge of the Vinyl Division of Teknor Apex. Our tests of diverse BioVinyl grades indicate that customers can gain these environmental advantages without sacrificing product performance, and at a cost that is competitive with flexible vinyl containing non-phthalate plasticizers.”
