At Fakuma 2023, Envalior is presenting material and technology solutions for key trends of the future such as electric and fuel-cell mobility, autonomous driving, lightweight design, alternative energy generation, and digitalisation. As the product of the merger of DSM Engineering Materials and Lanxess High Performance Materials, Envalior offers customers application expertise built up over decades – ‘with tailor-made services, which is essential for innovative product developments’, said Giorgio Coppolino, commercial director Europe at Envalior. One particular focus of Envalior’s appearance at the trade fair is on sustainable material solutions. The company has a stated goal of offering mass-balanced bio-based or recycled material variants of its entire product range by 2030. This measure is intended to help make Envalior climate-neutral.
At Fakuma, next to the wide range of innovative cost-effective and lightweight solutions in the automotive space, particularly EVs, the company is also showcasing numerous exhibits made from sustainable materials,including some that are 100 percent bio-based or contain recycled materials. The exhibits include outdoor jackets and DiFold bottles made from Arnitel TPC B-MB bio-based thermoplastic copolyesters. Faucets made from the polyamide 410 compound EcoPaXX, which is based on castor oil, are also on display. Other highlights are switches and sockets from Schneider Electric’s Merten Ocean Plastic model series, which are made from Akulon RePurposed for smart-home applications. The material base for this polyamide 6 post-consumer recyclate is derived from discarded or ghost fishing nets. The prototype of a lightweight passenger-car seat shell based predominantly on renewable flax fibers is also on show, along with a surfboard fin made from Durethan BLUEBKV30H2.0. The polyamide 6 compound is made from almost 90 percent bio-based and recycled raw materials. It is seawater-compatible, mechanically robust, easy to color, and enables a lightweight design solution.
The company also reports that two more of its 18 production facilities - Jhagadia in India and Porto Feliz in Brazil - have been certified according to the ISCC Plus sustainability standard. As a result, these sites can now market the ECO compounds of the Durethan (polyamides 6 and 66) and Pocan (PBT) brands, for which the content of bio-based and/or circular raw materials is disclosed transparently for customers - thanks to the use of the mass-balance methodology.