At Chinaplas 2011, booth 10.2E21, the Innovative Plastics strategic business unit of SABIC announced a new milestone in its expanding sustainability efforts to provide customers with a diverse portfolio of high-performance, environmentally responsible materials.
Further evidencing its commitment to validating its ecological claims, the company is now one of the first to receive Environmental Claims Validation (ECV) from Underwriters Laboratories Environment (ULE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Certification was given to Innovative Plastics' new Noryl* RN0401 resin - which contains at least 20 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) content - after successfully completed the demanding ULE validation process. This achievement represents another major step in Innovative Plastics' pioneering efforts to support its customers' sustainability programs with environmentally sound advanced materials solutions.
SABIC’s ULE-Certified Noryl* RN0401 Resin is an Excellent Candidate for Electronic Housings.
Receiving ULE certification follows Innovative Plastics' fourth-quarter 2010 introduction of its rigorous new validation process for sustainable materials and applications. The program utilizes a Sustainable Product Scorecard, developed in partnership with GreenOrder - a third-party environmental sustainability consulting firm - and has already verified the environmental benefits of seven of the company's sustainable product families.
"With growing demand for environmentally responsible products, customers are looking for exceptional materials that have been validated according to recognized standards," said Tom Hartle, Noryl resin global marketing director, Innovative Plastics. "Innovative Plastics is being very proactive in this area by utilizing respected third parties such as GreenOrder and Underwriters Laboratories - together with our own methodologies - to validate those products that are critical to our customers' success. It's an excellent approach to ensuring that our sustainable materials continue to offer exceptional value and true solutions to tough environmental challenges."
ULE's methodology includes audits at the OEM manufacturing level and at the PCR supply chain level, including formula design, manufacturing control system, and sourcing practices to ensure credibility of the PCR content.
An Expanding Portfolio of PCR Resins
ULE-certified Noryl RN0401 resin, containing 20 percent PCR and meeting the UL94 V0 standard at 2.0 mm, is an excellent candidate for a variety of electronic housings, components and power adaptors. This grade is part of a planned family of Noryl PCR resins aimed at the electrical/electronics industry. Two brand-new Noryl resin PCR products are also on track for third-party validation.
In addition, Innovative Plastics is showcasing two new Cycoloy* polycarbonate / acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) resins containing open-loop PCR PC from water bottles, CDs and other sources. Cycoloy RCM6134 resin contains 35 percent PCR and meets the UL94 V0 standard at 1.0 mm and has a high stiffness of 3.1 gigapascals (Gpa) for thin-wall enclosures. Cycoloy RCY6214 resin, also containing 35 percent PCR, meets UL94 V0 at 1.5 mm. They are suitable for laptop and consumer electronics housings. Up to four additional grades will soon be available, offering a variety of combinations of stiffness, flame rating and viscosity.
There are now four grades of non-flame resistant (FR) Lexan EXL PC resin with PCR content ranging from 25 to 80 percent. All are based on Innovative Plastics' high-performance Lexan EXL resin technology, which offers superior impact, improved low temperature ductility, and enhanced processability compared to standard PC grades. The grades offer carbon footprint reductions, in terms of cradle-to-gate greenhouse gas emissions, ranging from 20 to 64 percent compared to traditional Lexan EXL 1414 resin and a lower carbon footprint than non-PCR containing products, traditional PC and PC/ABS. Additionally, there is one new grade of FR polycarbonate resin - Lexan R9453 resin - containing up to 30 percent PCR with a UL94 V0 rating at 1.1 mm. Lexan R9453 resin is flame retardant with non-brominated and non-chlorinated FR technology.
Sustainability PCR Icons: Valox iQ* and Xenoy iQ* Resins
Innovative Plastics began its ongoing commitment to PCR products with Valox iQ* and Xenoy iQ* resins, which employ an advanced chemical process to up-cycle polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste into engineering thermoplastics. The company continues to invest in these two families. Today, the Valox iQ family of nearly 15 polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)-based grades, together with Xenoy iQ PC/PBT resins, offer PCR content ranging from 12 to 60 percent by weight and a wide range of properties similar to materials currently used in connectors, computer cooling fans, food service utensils, power tool housings, consumer products and automotive exteriors.
* Trademarks of SABIC Innovative Plastics IP B.V.