The Swedish compounders, Hexpol TPE AB and Polykemi AB, have collaborated on a 2K sustainable development project for consumer products.
Making a material selection can be a complicated task when designing consumer products. There are many properties to balance, and the choice is even more complex when including eco-design principles. Selecting two materials for a 2K part is not doubling the difficulty; it is squared. To help with this decision, Hexpol TPE and Polykemi has teamed up to enable combinations based on properties and sustainability targets.
To demonstrate the possibilities in reducing the product carbon footprint, increasing recyclability and optimizing adhesion, Polykemi’s Materialsmart meets Hexpol TPE’s Sustainable Materials Lab to create tested solutions.
”Making an informed choice is key when decarbonising and making the consequences clear is the first step on this journey”, says Henrik Palokangas, sustainability specialist at Polykemi.
Henrik Palokangas, sustainability specialist at Polykemi and Klas Dannäs, sustainability director at Hexpol TPE.
Material combinations that reduces the carbon footprint
Hexpol TPE and Polykemi have done substantial work in the field of sustainability, allowing them to provide cradle-to-gate Product Carbon Footprints (PCF) and calculate the Global Warming Potential (GWP) per kg of material.
The PCF data shows that switching from a combination using fossil-based ABS from Polykemi, overmoulded with a fossil-based TPE from Hexpol TPE, to a recycled PP and TPE with bio-circular attributed content, can give a 77% reduction in CO2-e. This combination can also bring advantages when considering end-of-life and recycling compatibility.
Combinations using mechanically recycled ABS with bio-circular attributed TPE were also tested, which gave a 57% reduction in CO2-e compared to the fully fossil-based equivalents. The TPE has bio-circular attributed content via the mass balance principle from 2nd generation feedstocks.
“To bring real change and deliver the needed transition of the plastics industry, we must collaborate. This project is about taking our collective know-how to enable combinations with the lowest carbon footprint and highest recyclability possible. While also giving assurance on the materials adhesion performance and durability”, says Klas Dannäs, sustainability director at Hexpol TPE.
The challenges of a material choice for a 2K part can be easier with the material combinations in the cooperation between Polykemi and Hexpol TPE.
