World’s 1st for product carbon footprints, polyhydroxyalkanoates bioplastic, BASF shoe shanks, bacteria-infused knits, Eastman’s cellulosic yarn and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of February 28th

#3 BASF makes shoe shanks easier and more sustainable

In Germany, BASF presented the newest material developments targeted specifically on manufacturing optimized shanks for shoes but with more sustainable and biobased materials than the usual glass fiber-reinforced polyamide.

BASF created a glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as an alternative. The new Elastollan R series from BASF exhibits the stiffness of alternative materials and absorbs hardly any moisture. Benefits: It adheres very well to PUR while a time-consuming and costly surface treatment is no longer needed.

Manufacturing sustainable shoe components is a goal to which the Spanish company Analco is committed. The years-long partnership between BASF and Analco also bore fruit for the latest initiative: With its Elastopan Green (PUR) and Elastollan N (TPU), BASF was able to offer products manufactured from up to 50 % bio-based renewable raw materials – certified by ASTM D 6866-12. At the same time, it should be noted that these are not obtained from agricultural products, and thus do not reduce acreage used for food production.
More on the story, here.