The challenge

Traditional thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are dependant on fossil-based resources. These materials are responsible for the accumulation of plastic waste because of their linear design, which is hindering the circularity. Around 4% of the global CO2 emissions and 40% of the plastics in packaging are due to these conventional elastomers.

The methods

With RUBRAN®, B4Plastics wants to revolutionize the elastomeric polymers field. We not only use bio-based building blocks, created from nature, but also incorporate post-consumer plastics waste, that would otherwise be incinerated or landfilled. Furthermore, it is our ambition to offer full circularity through our materials by closed-loop recyclability. The properties of our material are completely tunable to the end applications.

The result

Combined with the upcycling of post-consumer plastic waste, shorter transportation distances, and closed-loop recycling potential, RUBRAN®is forcasting a significant climate impact reduction potential of 1000 tonnes of climate-threatening CO2 equivalent emissions annually, based on a 500 tonnes/year production. Compared to conventional elastomeric polymers, this means a reduction of around 40% CO2.

This amount is equal to driving a car around the world for 126 times, the annual emissions of electricity consumption of 429 EU households or the production of 2.5 million running shoe soles, which would be enough to provide every recreational runner in Belgium within one year. This approved climate impact forecast is third-party validated through a programme by the European Innovation Council and Climate-KIC.