Bayer MaterialScience launches the first bio-based polyurethanes for textile coating

bayer550

Bayer MaterialScience, a Bayer Group company among the world’s largest polymer companies with 2014 sales of 11.7 billion euro, is introducing a range of waterborne, bio-based polyurethane (PU) dispersions under the Impranil® eco name. With a renewable content that reaches as high as 65 percent, this product class contributes to a further reduction of CO₂emissions, thus further improving the sustainability of waterborne PU. The products are part of the INSQIN® program for waterborne PU for textiles.

“Sustainability is becoming a purchasing decision criterion for consumers and is high on the agenda for the textiles industry,” said Nicholas Smith, Global Head of Textile Coating at Bayer MaterialScience. “Impranil® eco improves the ecological footprint for manufacturers, OEM’s (original equipment manufacturer) and brand owners. These first products in the series were developed specially for use in fashion apparel, accessory and footwear applications and will support players in this sector in their efforts toward greater sustainability.

For the first time, manufacturers can produce synthetic materials and coated fabrics with a high content of renewable materials in every layer. Performance matches the high level of conventional products, and the bio-based raw materials can be used immediately without reformulation. It is also an important consideration that the bio source used is not in competition with the food chain.

“We believe that disruptive innovation will increasingly depend on collaboration with high-quality partners, upstream as well as downstream in the value chain,” said Smith. “For the renewable raw materials for Impranil® eco, we are happy to have partnered with the company BioAmber, a technology leader that will provide a reliable supply of these precursors in sufficient scale. We, in turn, will continue to partner with leading companies downstream of us in the value chain in order to leverage to the maximum the innovative potential of our technologies.”

In addition to the bio-based grades, Bayer MaterialScience is presenting further new grades in the Impranil® range of PU dispersions that extend the reach of the INSQIN® technology launched last year together with a suite of services to address industry needs for material functionality and greater sustainability.

Impranil® DAA was developed specially for tiecoats in apparel and footwear applications. The product can be used to produce even softer materials that retain this property even at low temperatures – an attribute that is particularly sought after in the apparel segment.

In sports footwear applications, material performance requirements are particularly high. Impranil® DLE enables the development of footwear upper materials that meet the highest specifications of the industry, particularly with respect to bonding strength.

The automotive industry, on the other hand, can benefit from the new Impranil® DLC-T. With this product, it is possible to produce automotive interior materials that combine the highly matted surfaces sought by the industry with the highest level of abrasion, hydrolysis, light and heat resistance.