SABIC Wins Prestigious Green Material Innovation Application Award for Up-cycled Valox iQ* Resin

June 27, 2012 - PRLog -- SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business was honored with Plastics Technology’s (China) Green Material Innovative Application Award in recognition of the company’s pioneering Valox iQ* resin, an industry-leading material that incorporates up-cycled post-consumer content from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) water bottles. The award highlights the success of SABIC’s unique iQ resin technology platform in raising industry standards for green materials, as well as eliminating waste through closed-loop reuse systems. Valox iQ resin, one of many high-end materials in SABIC’s broad portfolio of innovative solutions, demonstrates the company’s constant dedication to powering the competitive advantage of its customers by helping them meet accelerating global demand for high-performance and sustainable products.

“We are very pleased to receive the Green Material Innovative Application Award for a product that is helping our customers meet their sustainability needs,” said Peter Chan, president, Greater China, Innovative Plastics. “Valox iQ resin is a perfect example of how SABIC works closely with its customers to create technology-based solutions to help them achieve their sustainability goals by reducing the environmental impact of end-use products around the world. As in the case of Valox iQ resin, collaborating closely with our customers to develop advanced materials solutions is at the heart of everything we do.”

The Green Material Innovative Application Award, along with a number of other honors, was presented to SABIC in Shanghai at Plastics Technology’s (China) tenth anniversary ceremony. The awards recognized companies that have contributed to the remarkable success of the plastic industry in China in the past decade. Plastics Technology (China) is an influential plastics publication that is jointly published by Gardner Publications, Inc., in the United States.

SABIC Resin Offers Significantly Lower Carbon Footprint

SABIC’s Valox iQ is made with polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) polymers and may contain up to 60 percent post-consumer content and consumes as many as 67 PET half a liter (16 ounces) water bottles per kilogram of Valox iQ resin produced, which can help reduce the resin’s carbon footprint by as much as 49 percent vs. virgin PBT resins. Yet, unlike other recycled materials, which lose performance through successive melt histories, Valox iQ resins are up-cycled to perform as well as or better than conventionally manufactured materials.

The SABIC material consumes less energy and yields less carbon dioxide (CO2) than traditional resins through its entire manufacturing process – from cradle (discarded water bottle) to gate (Valox iQ resin pellet). This technology can extend the useful life of the PET resin from the bottles by up to an additional 20 years or more depending on the final end-use application. Further, Valox iQ resin provides molded-in color capability to replace painting, which can pose an environmental hazard from volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
Valox iQ Resin Applications Demonstrate Success in Sustainability

Leveraging Valox iQ resin, SABIC has worked closely with a number of customers to develop differentiated, and environmentally responsible products ranging from consumer goods to transportation and automotive components. Examples include:

Automotive

Leviton Manufacturing, a North American leader in electrical devices and systems, selected Valox iQ resin for the housing of its Evr-Green™ electric vehicle (EV) cord set, a portable charger for EVs. Valox iQ resin, which offers molded-in color to avoid secondary painting, significantly enhances the environmental benefits of the Leviton charger. Equally important, it delivers high electrical and mechanical performance. Other key properties of Valox iQ resin are high impact and toughness to withstand accidental contact with a vehicle and excellent resistance to household chemicals and ultraviolet light.

Housewares

Kitchenware industry leader Robinson Home Products, a SABIC customer for more than 30 years, tapped Valox iQ resin for its Green Street™ line of plastic kitchen utensils. The solution delivers exceptional performance and quality that consumers demand in kitchenware, including heat and chemical resistance, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for food contact and attractive appearance.

Textiles

Valox iQ 2205HV resin is used as a critical additive to textiles to provide improved permanent stain resistance (vs. standard PET fiber) and strong, consistent color, and to maximize post-consumer recycle content. Valox iQ 2205HV resin is highly effective in dispersing pigment throughout the polymer melt to produce consistent, vivid colors – what the flooring and carpet industries call “color pop” – with lower loadings of expensive colorants. Compared to fiber that is dyed after being produced, solution-dyed fiber using Valox iQ resin retains excellent color and provides permanent stain resistance to prolong carpet life and makes cleaning much easier.

For additional information on SABIC’s Valox iQ resins, please go to www.sabic-ip.com. For technical product inquiries, please contact us at www.sabic-ip.com/prtechinquiry.