Steelcase has designed and produced its first furniture product that uses plastics derived from a chemical or advanced recycling process.
The new nestable Flex Perch Stool is made with BASF’s Ultramid B3EG6 Ccycled, an injection mouldable PA6 produced from feedstock derived from a waste stream generated during electronics production, the company said.
The material is a drop-in replacement for its 100% fossil-sourced PA 6 counterpart. BASF developed its Ccycled resins within the scope of its ChemCycle project, which focuses on plastic waste that is not recycled mechanically for technological, economic or ecological reasons, including plastics with residues and mixed plastic waste fractions, derived from pre- or post-consumer waste streams. This is waste that would previously have been destined for landfill or incineration. Using pyrolysis technology, this waste can be converted into high value virgin-quality materials that are put back into the value chain, thus displacing fossil-based feedstocks and creating new loops for these materials.
Next to being made from recycled materials, Steelcase’s new stool is also 100% recyclable - ‘contributing to the Steelcase mission to create products that are good for people and the environment’, said Mark Spoelhof, Principal Designer, Steelcase.
BASF’s Ultramid B3EG6 Ccycled material is manufactured in Wyandotte, Michigan and has received validation by Underwriters Laboratories.
Under UL 2809, Environmental Claim Validation Procedure, Ultramid Ccycled grades, using multiple pre- and post-consumer waste streams, are available using a mass balance system to meet the recycled content criteria. These grades have the same properties as their conventional equivalents, do not require adjustments to traditional processing methods and are sustainable raw material alternatives for applications such as packaging film, carpeting and furniture. The Steelcase Flex Perch Stool is now available for purchase in North America and will launch in Europe, the Middle East and Asia in April 2022.