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According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Americans alone throw away at least 300 million pairs of shoes each year. These shoes end up in landfills, where they can take 30 to 40 years to decompose. This figure has inspired Lubrizol Engineered Polymers to engineer an innovative portfolio of advanced polymers to provide footwear producers the opportunity to create a nearly 100% TPU shoe that is recyclable* without compromising performance.
Justin Park, Lubrizol’s global market segment manager for performance footwear says, “The advantage of a 100% TPU shoe is that at the end of the shoe’s wear cycle it can be re-grinded and then reformed into a new shoe, therefore extending the life of the product and material.”
Lubrizol Engineered Polymers advanced TPU portfolio for footwear applications gives footwear producers the opportunity to collaborate with one solution provider for their needs. Another benefit to footwear producers of using Lubrizol Engineered Polymers TPU as the prime material for shoe production is having the ability to reuse the scraps, resulting in less unused material during the manufacturing process.
The key technologies in Lubrizol’s Engineered Polymers TPU portfolio for performance footwear that can be engineered to form almost every component of a shoe include Esdex(TM) TPU for upper yarns to keep shoe construction smart and lightweight, BounCell-X(TM) a low density, plasticizer-free, recyclable*, thermoplastic foam for cushioning, Estane(R) TRX TPU as a functional alternative to rubber outsoles, Pearlthane(TM) ECO TPU a bio-based** renewable-sourced material, Estane(R) 3D TPU a soft, flexible material that offers design freedom for 3D printed components, and Pearlbond(TM) TPU for adhesives assembly that provides flexibility to join a large variety of substrates together.
Lubrizol Engineered Polymers has released a video to help support and promote its extensive TPU footwear portfolio for performance footwear applications, One Shoe.
© 2019 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.